You're My Safety
by NCIStiva3
Summary: Post-Shiva. Ziva finds out some shocking things about her background when old faces are brought back and new faces are introduced, but throughout all the stress and drama, the constants will always be Team Gibbs, especially Tony, who will make sure she is okay. Please read and review. I really appreciate it.
1. Chapter 1

Ziva David had a complicated life. There was no other way to describe it. After all, her mother left her father. Her father killed the mother of her half-brother. Her brother belonged to the group that killed her sister. She killed her brother, and now there was a theory that she killed her father.

Officer Malachi Ben-Gidon had visited with the news.

"Do you think I was involved in my father's death?" Ziva looked up at Malachi with glassy eyes. They were in the conference room with Tony, Gibbs, Vance, and McGee. Team Gibbs knew Ziva didn't have anything to do with the deaths of Eli David and Jackie Vance.

"I honestly do not know what to believe, Ziva." Malachi said after a deep sigh.

"Is there any evidence against her?" Vance finally asked.

"The fact that she is sitting right in front of me. Ziva must be extremely lucky. She got out of there quickly. She fled the house. Had she stayed at that table…"

"She would have died." McGee finished for Malachi. Tony glanced at Ziva. She was pretending like the whole situation didn't affect her, but Tony knew better. Tony knew that she was hurting. She needed someone to reach out to, and he had every intention to be that someone.

"Ziva, I have known you for years, but I can't help think…"

"That I'm like Ari?" Ziva wondered.

"I remember how close you two were. You were the closest brother and sister I had ever seen. You two never argued, and he told you he loved you every day he could. He told you you're beautiful. Can you look me in the eye and tell me that you didn't have anything to do with Eli's death?"

"Yes." Ziva whispered.

"Then, for now, I trust you, but there's more I have to say." Malachi continued. Ziva kept staring at the door. It was so close, yet so far. Her mind was divided. Part of her wanted to run to that door and lock herself outside of it, and the other part of her wanted to listen to what Malachi had to say.

"Spit it out, Officer Ben-Gidon." Vance finally ordered after silence. He wanted to catch Bodnar so badly. Everyone in that conference room did. Although Team Gibbs had never personally liked Eli David, Jackie was an innocent, and anyone who could make Ziva sob and scream like she did, deserved to die.

"There's someone else at that dinner table who was supposed to die." All eyes in the room went to Director Vance.

"What does Bodnar want with me?" He asked angrily. Malachi smirked at Vance jumping to conclusions.

"Not you, Director Vance." Malachi turned his gaze towards the only woman in the room. The usual fearless, beautiful woman who suddenly looked like a vulnerable child. "You." He said to Ziva.

"What does he want with Ziva?" Gibbs asked.

"She's Eli David's daughter. She's valuable. She's worth something, and that's why I'm here-to protect her." Ziva looked up.

"NCIS can protect me. Thank you." She said.

"That is what you inherit from your father. You are so stubborn and prideful. That is how we know you are Eli David's daughter. Anyways, I am here to provide protection. NCIS can help with the protection detail, but I need you in a safe house, and I must be there with you." Malachi explained. Gibbs seemed to notice the concerned glances Tony was throwing at Ziva.

"I'm assigning an agent to be in the safe house with you and Ziva as well."

"Who?" Malachi asked.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs replied.

"I also hope to move Ziva to Israel." Malachi said.

"Like hell you will." Gibbs instantly stated. Tony smirked at how quickly Gibbs replied. Ziva was Gibbs' girl. The two of them had a special relationship that ran even deeper than the connection between Gibbs and Abby. Gibbs and Ziva just fit well.

"We will discuss this later, but Bodnar is in America right now. He is likely looking for Ziva. It is my job, with the help from Agent DiNozzo, to keep her safe. Do you have a safe house in mind we could use?" Malachi directed his question towards Vance who nodded.

"Yeah, I'll give you one." Vance stood up, and everyone else in the room stood up. McGee left first, then Vance, then Malachi, then Gibbs, and Tony pulled Ziva to the side before leaving. He looked her in the eye.

"How are you?" he asked. When her mouth began to form a word, he stopped her. "I swear if the word fine comes out of your mouth…" Ziva smiled a little as she looked into Tony's green eyes. They were filled with concern.

"You do not have to worry about me." She reassured him. He rolled his eyes.

"Well, you don't worry about yourself, so I gotta make up for it." He replied. She snickered. "Seriously, Ziva, how are you? Is there anything I can do?" he asked lovingly. Ziva was touched by how caring he could be when she needed him to be.

"I am feeling a little overwhelmed with everything that is going on, especially Malachi's visit. It brings unwanted memories. Just you being in that safe house is enough for me. I don't think I could take it if it was just me and Malachi. You know I don't fully trust him. I don't trust him nearly as much as I trust you." She explained sincerely.

"Okay." Tony whispered. He desperately wanted to hug her, but she obviously didn't want to be touched at the moment. He decided he would try to get that reassuring hug or hand on her shoulder sometime while they stayed at the safe house. "Hey, do you want to make a list of stuff I should pick up at your apartment because you can't really leave the building right now?" Ziva paused for a minute. "Ziva?" he asked.

"Is he really in America?" Ziva needed to hear the confirmation from Tony. She trusted him so much.

"Yeah." He said.

"You won't leave me and Malachi alone, will you?" she wondered. She almost looked scared. Almost. Memories from Somalia were probably going through her head at the moment, and that was the last thing Tony wanted for her. He wanted to calm her down and make her feel less stressed. So much for that.

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**Please, tell me what you think about it. Please send me in ideas, criticism, compliments, anything. I just want to know what you think. Do you actually like the story? **


	2. Chapter 2

Vance had given the three a bigger safe house than usual. Ziva got the main bedroom. Malachi would sleep on the chair in the living room, and Tony would sleep on the couch in the room across from Ziva's. The house had a kitchen and a nice television which Tony had occupied with the movies he had brought from his apartment.

"What movie are you watching now?" Ziva asked, walking by the living room on her way to make some food in the kitchen.

"The Back-Up Plan. Jennifer Lopez. Pretty good. You want to watch it with me?" Tony asked, knowing it would be a long-shot. Ziva thought about it for a minute.

"How about I make some food, and then I'll watch it with you?" Ziva felt the need to be close to Tony. She felt so weak and violated. She hated that feeling, but she knew that Tony would never take advantage of her in that state. Malachi was doing bug sweeps around the house. You could never be too careful.

"Okay." Tony managed to choke out. Ziva must have been really depressed. He couldn't believe that Ziva actually agreed to watch a movie with him. He was happy about it, but he was a little sad that the Ziva he knew was temporarily gone. "Are you sure you wanna watch it?" he asked.

"There really is not much else to do. I already finished the book I was reading. I can start another one later, but I am tired of reading. I am in the mood for a better distraction." Tony tried to keep his mind from going to sex as Ziva walked away. _That would keep her distracted as I make her scream in pleasure._ He thought to himself.

"What do you want to eat, Tony?" Ziva called from the sandwich.

"Peanut butter and jelly sandwich." Tony replied. Ziva rolled her eyes at how childish it seemed.

"What about you, Malachi?" Ziva asked. _I forgot about him. _Tony thought. Malachi emerged from Ziva's bedroom with a gun loaded in his hand.

"The same thing you are having is fine for me, Ziva." He said as he sat on the chair near the couch. "Getting ready to watch a movie, DiNozzo?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is if you're supposed to be protecting Ziva." He snarled.

"She's about to come in here and sit right beside me. I can protect her just fine when she's sitting right next to me." Tony explained like it was no big deal. He heard Ziva move around the kitchen and smiled at the thought of how domestic she could be.

"I'm sure Director Vance thought that same thing about his wife who sat right next to him, and she's dead." Malachi said, and he got up to walk away.

"Malachi, your food is by the microwave." Ziva said as she came in with two plates and two drinks. She had an iced tea, and she made Tony a coffee just the way he liked it. He knew he smelled coffee.

"Thank you, Ziva." Tony said quietly as Ziva handed him his coffee and his sandwich.

"You're welcome. She said just as quietly. He set his food on the coffee table in front of him and scooted over to make room for Ziva. He took the DVD remote off the table and was about to hit play when he felt a soft hand on top of his. He was forced to look in to the Israeli's mesmerizing, hypnotizing, beautiful, chocolate brown eyes.

"Don't let him get to you like that. He wants you to feel bad."

"Bad about what?" Tony asked.

"Me. He wants you to feel like you let me down." She told him.

"Am I letting you down?" Ziva subconsciously moved closer to Tony.

"No."

"Good."

"Good." Ziva repeated.

"Why does he want me to feel like I let you down?" Tony finally asked after sitting in silence for a couple of minutes. It didn't even occur to Tony to press play on the DVD remote like he had originally intended to, but Ziva let him dwell in his thoughts. There was no rush. There was just a sociopathic murderer after her.

"Because he felt like he let me down. It's just a thing with Malachi. He's a classic bully. He wants to make others feel bad because it makes him feel better about himself. It is just how he is. It is how Malachi has always been." It was then that Tony realized how close the two of them were together. Her right leg had brushed against his left, and her arm was delicately placed across the back of the couch, holding her iced tea, almost like her arm was meant to be loosely wrapped around Tony. Almost. Tony was suddenly uncomfortable.

"How he has always been?" he asked, trying to scoot over a little, but not be very noticeable about it.

"It is just a major part of his personality. He has never been the best at anything, mainly second place or third. He takes pleasure in making other people feel bad. He knows that you are sensitive in some areas." Ziva explained like it was nothing.

"How long have you and Mal known each other?" Tony asked. Malachi hadn't even come in to get his sandwich yet.

"Since I was five years old, actually. He's four and a half years older than me." Ziva said.

"So you two grew up together?"

"Malachi and Ari were best friends, along with my cousins, Michael, Judah, Benjamin, Dalip, Soloman, Elijah, and a few others."

"How many cousins do you have?" Tony asked, a little surprised that he had never heard the names of her cousins before, not even in passing.

"Did. Michael and Judah are the only ones alive. Michael is my Aunt Nettie's son. Judah is my Aunt Nevara's son. Michael has a sister named Mariella. Mariella has three children that I adore." Tony no longer felt very nervous. He threw the remote back onto the coffee table, suddenly very interested in everything Ziva was saying. He just wanted to get Ziva to talk even more.

"What are Mariella's kids' names?" Tony asked.

"The oldest is fourteen. Her name is Carmela, but we call her Cammy. Mar was never a very good mother. She loves making babies, but she doesn't like taking care of them. All three children have different fathers. Nariq is four years old. We call him Ricky. He is so cute. I can't believe he was a little baby the last time I saw him, and then Marianina is two months old now. Cammy told me she loves taking care of Nina." Tony smiled listening to Ziva talk. That did not go unnoticed by Ziva. _He listens to me._ She thought, but she tried to push that thought to the back of her mind. Somehow, it kept popping back up.

"You keep in touch?" Tony asked.

"Of course." Before Tony could reply, his cell phone rang. _Damn cell phones_. It was Gibbs.

"Yeah, Boss?" Tony answered.

"DiNozzo, bring Ziva in. We need you two doing some work on three murders of marines. The police think it's another serial killer, but I think it's Bodnar." Gibbs said.

"What makes you think that, Boss?"

"All three women who were murdered had brown hair, brown eyes, olive skin, and a note that said brightness on them which is what the name, Ziva, translates to."

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**So far, I have 125 views, but only 2 reviews. Can you please review, and tell me what you think? How bad is it? On a scale of 1-10, how good is it?**


	3. Chapter 3

Malachi was a little reluctant to let Ziva go with Tony back to NCIS headquarters. He finally decided to come with the two, much to Tony's annoyance. When the three arrived in the parking lot, Malachi turned to Ziva.

"Ziva, go first. We will watch your back, but you need a head start of about thirty yards." Malachi came up with a stupid excuse to have a moment alone with Tony. Ziva knew that the thirty yards thing was most likely made up, but she was not in the mood to argue.

"So what do you want to talk to me about?" Tony asked.

"Did I see your wandering eyes on Ziva?" Malachi bluntly asked.

"Who are you? Her father?"

"Her father's dead, DiNozzo. Eli David might not have been a good father, but he was a great leader. Anyways, did I see your wandering eyes on Ziva?" Malachi repeated the question.

"So what, Mal? Are you going to tell me she's off-limits? Are you going to tell me to stay away from your girl because in all of the movies, the guy who says that does **not **end up with the girl, like ever."

"You didn't answer my question." Malachi noticed.

"Well, I got a question for you, Mal. Are you in love with Ziva?" he asked bluntly, much like Malachi had done the first time.

"Are you?" he returned with the same question. Malachi's reply shut Tony up. His body froze, and he suddenly felt paralyzed all because Malachi had asked if he was in love with Ziva. There was no right answer to this question. Both Malachi and Tony's silence answered the question. The two men got out of the car.

"I was wondering where my protection detail was." Ziva said as she saw the two men enter the squad room.

"Well, Ziva, I'm not going anywhere." Malachi said, to which Ziva gave him a half-smile. _I can make her really smile. _Tony thought.

"Neither am I." he added, and Ziva's smile was enough to thank him. That smile had started to show more, which Tony was thankful for. Tony looked around the squad room.

"So where's Gibbs and McGee?" he asked.

"Right here." Answered a voice from behind. Tony turned around to see Gibbs with a coffee in hand, a frustrated look on his face, and McGee in tow.

"So, fill us in, Boss." Tony said, referring to the case, which was worrying him a little.

"McGee, put it up." Gibbs ordered once they all were in the squad room. McGee took the remote, and the pictures of three dead women appeared on the screen.

"One marine, one navy chaplain, and one petty officer. All three women had brown hair, brown eyes, and olive skin. So far, that's the only connection we can find between the three women. They were all beaten to death, with the word **brightness** carved into their backs." McGee explained.

"And you think it's Bodnar?" Malachi asked. "That's not much of a lead, Agent Gibbs. It could all be a coincidence." The room suddenly stiffened, as Gibbs shot daggers through his eyes at Malachi.

"McGee, put up pictures of the women, alive." McGee did so.

"They look alike." Ziva said.

"Now add Ziva's picture." Gibbs ordered. McGee included Ziva's passport picture on the screen.

"They could be sisters." Tony said.

"And what does Ziva translate to, Officer Ben-Gidon?" Gibbs asked, adding a slight bit of disgust to Malachi's name.

"Brilliance." Malachi replied. Gibbs gave him the _that is not the answer I want _look. "Or brightness." He added hesitantly.

"Are you saying that Bodnar is killing women who look like Ziva and carving her name's translation into their backs?" Tony summarized.

"Exactly." McGee answered.

"What about them being navy and marines, Agent Gibbs? Ziva is neither."

"Ziva's a navy cop." Tony clarified. "Bodnar must have known that she would be investigating this. He wasn't planning on Malachi coming and putting her in a safe house."

"He probably does know by now." A voice called, quickly coming down the stairs from the balcony. That voice was Director Vance. "Officer Ben-Gidon, I suggest you contact one more Mossad officer that you trust with your life to come and help with the security detail." Vance said.

"What?" Gibbs demanded more than asked.

"Two people protecting her and two people working on the case is not enough, Agent Gibbs. I intend to enlist help from Mossad, FBI, everyone is after this guy. I want an NCIS-FBI joint op for solving the case, and I want an NCIS-Mossad joint protection detail. I just need Officer Ben-Gidon to make the call." Vance said, and he walked away, indicating that he did not want any arguments on the matter. Gibbs sat down at his desk, took his phone, and dialed a number.

"Hey, Tobias…." And the rest of the conversation was ignored by the others. McGee was suddenly uncomfortable with all the tension in the room.

"What officer do you have in mind, Malachi?" Ziva finally asked. The three men looked at her. She was a little taken back with everything they learned recently. _Those women are dead because they look like me. _She thought.

"Michael." He said.

"Which one?" Ziva asked in reply.

"Your Michael." He said. Tony and McGee looked at her. The last time she _had _a Michael, he turned out to be using her on orders by her father. Ziva looked a little afraid when Malachi said he wanted Michael.

"Do you think he is capable of protecting me?" Ziva asked. "I need to be able to trust that the people given the job to protect me **will**, Malachi." She explained.

"He should want to protect you. After all, he is your cousin. You two were very close when you were younger." Bells rang in Tony's head. Ziva had briefly mentioned that she had a cousin named Michael who was best friends with Ari and Michael.

"We have not spoken in a few years. He thinks I have changed too much." She replied.

"You have." Malachi corrected her. "You have not been the girl we all loved for years. You are no longer the same person. You used to kick ass and look hot doing it. Where's the girl that was trained by thirteen to kill people? Where's the girl who everyone fell in love? Where's the girl who had the voice of an angel?" Malachi asked. Tony and McGee looked at each other, then at Ziva. They had never heard much about her past before. What did they really know about Ziva's past? It was complicated. That's all they really knew.

"That girl is gone, Malachi."

"I know, but I hope that there's a chance of getting her back."

"No." Ziva instantly replied.

"Too bad. I miss her." Malachi confessed. "We lost you and Ari at the same time. That girl died with him. A part of all of us, Ziva, died with him. His death devastated you."

"His death didn't devastate me." She said.

` "Then what did, Ziva? What changed you so drastically?" Malachi continued.

"The man he had become." She whispered. If there wasn't silence around the room, expecting Ziva's answer, no one would have heard her.

"He would've been proud of you." Malachi finally said, much to everyone's surprise.

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**I have to say thank you so much for my reviews. I really appreciate your feedback. It motivates me to update faster. So, what do you think about the story so far? Please tell me what you like, what you don't like, etc. So, we are going to find out more about Ziva's past, and I want to show how devastating it must have been for her to find out her brother was a traitor and have to kill him. No one from team Gibbs was there for her because they hated Ari, but they didn't know how close Ari and Ziva were. Don't worry. There will be more tiva. Please, tell me what you think. **


	4. Chapter 4

Everyone in the room looked at Ziva for her response. She was so caught off guard by what Malachi said. She didn't want to think about Ari. It hurt to think about Ari.

"I don't want to talk about." Ziva said.

"You never will." Malachi replied before walking to a phone and making a call to Officer Michael Sharen. Malachi and Ziva's conversation seemed to make her look even more vulnerable in Tony's eyes. _Everything that's going on right now, she's deserves to be vulnerable. _Tony thought as Ziva leaned forward and began typing on her computer. Tony was staring at Ziva, and Ziva was so off her game that she didn't even notice, but Gibbs did. It took a slap to the back of the head to knock Tony out of his dream state.

"Yes, Boss?" Tony asked, looking up and into the blue eyes of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

"You look after her." Gibbs said without waiting for an answer. He just walked over to the elevator with a coffee in hand, likely to meet Fornell somewhere.

_ I will._

Tony promised to himself. He leaned back in his chair and looked at his computer. He was part of the security detail, not the case, but he decided to do a little research. It looked like Ziva was doing that. He then heard Ziva's chair get pushed back, and she got up with a defeated look on her face. She was going to the bathroom, but Tony knew she didn't really need to use the bathroom. He followed her in a few minutes after she entered to find her alone, staring into the mirror. Tony locked the door behind him.

"I can take care of myself in the bathroom. I don't need a security detail in here." She said angrily, but Tony wasn't hurt. He didn't step down. This was what he wanted. Ziva needed a release.

"That's not why I'm here, and judging by the tears in your eyes, that's not why you're here, either." He said.

"I'm not crying." She said.

"Any other person would look at you and say that you just washed your face. I can look at you and see which is water from the faucet and tears from your eyes." He said quietly. Ziva took a paper towel and wiped her face dry.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"For what, Ziva? There's no reason to be sorry." Tony reminded her.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you like I did. I'm just stressed." She sighed, sitting on the counter, next to the sink. Tony stood in front of her.

"You have every right to be stressed." He told her. "Now, are you going to tell me why you're in here?" he asked.

"I was researching the women that were killed. The navy chaplain was named Elizabeth Crinston. She was engaged. The petty officer was named Leslie Durall. Her parents were divorced. Her mother was dying of breast cancer, and Leslie was taking care of her, paying her bills. There's no one to look after her now. The marine had three children. Two boys and a girl. Her husband died in a car accident a year ago. The kids' mother is gone. That mother's daughter is gone. That man's fiancée is gone all because they looked like me." She cried. "They're dead because they had brown eyes, brown hair, and olive skin." Tony opened his arms to her, and it surprised him when she accepted the offer.

"No, they're dead because of Bodnar." He reassured her.

"But he based the women he killed off of who looked like me. Did you read the autopsy reports, Tony? They were all beaten to death, raped, their heads were bashed in. Do you know how much pain they must have been in when they died?" she asked, her voice no longer a whisper.

"It's not your fault." He said. "I know what you're doing, Ziva, and it's not your fault. Don't take the blame. The only one who should take the blame is Bodnar, and he will serve his time. Don't worry."

"If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anyone else?" she asked through her tears.

"Oooooh, a secret." He said, much like his usual class clown self, as he wiped her tears away from her face with his thumb. Ziva smiled at his comment. "No, I won't tell anyone. I will take this secret to the grave." Tony prepared himself to hear a secret, but instead was given the gift of heavy knocking on the door.

"Ziva, DiNozzo, I know you are in there." The voice belonged to Malachi, and Ziva sighed. She washed her face once more and looked at Tony. _Another moment interrupted. _They both thought.

"We'll be out in a minute." Ziva said.

"About the secret?" Tony asked as Ziva dried her face one last time. She looked up at him, but the smile he wanted wasn't on her face.

"Never mind." She whispered and walked past Tony to unlock the door. She was greeted with Malachi giving her a smile. _Damn Malachi. _Tony thought. She was finally opening up to him, and Officer Ben-Gidon could have just ruined all of Tony's precious progress.

"Ah, Ziva." He greeted. He looked back at Tony, who was just stepping out of the ladies' room. "Agent DiNozzo." Tony nodded in reply.

"What, Malachi?" Ziva asked. Malachi didn't even notice she had been crying.

"Director Vance is assigning us a new safe house, just to be safe. Michael arrives tomorrow morning. The four of us will arrive at the safe house together which mean we are spending the night here. Michael is also very excited to see you, Ziva. He just wishes the visit was under better circumstances." Malachi explained. Tony heard Malachi talking, but he was focused mainly on Ziva, her reactions, and her body language.

"We all wish there were better circumstances." She said quietly and walked away from the two men.

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**I know it's a short chapter, but I gave you another tiva scene, like I said I would. Thank you so much for the review. I love reading them. Please tell me what parts you liked, didn't like. Just tell me what you thought. I love reviews. Thank you to all the people who have read up to here. **


	5. Chapter 5

Ziva slept at her desk that night. It was not comfortable, but she made it work. Tony and Malachi were on air mattresses and pillows from Abby's Lab. Abby was very disturbed by the murders.

"If it is Bodnar, wouldn't he want us to know it was him? Wouldn't he leave evidence like his fingerprints or something?" Abby asked Gibbs once he had brought her her Caf-Pow!.

"He's Mossad, Abs. It's just not how he's trained." Gibbs reminded her when he kissed her temple. He turned to leave the lab.

"He won't get Ziva, right?"

"Hell, no." Abby smiled. Ziva was safe for now. Gibbs took the elevator back into the bullpen. Ziva woke up when she heard the elevator. Tony and Malachi didn't even stir.

"Hey, Ziver." Gibbs said.

"Gibbs." She acknowledged.

"What did Abby say?" Ziva asked, suddenly very awake. She wiped her eyes a little bit and straightened out her hair.

"She's wondering why Bodnar didn't leave any physical evidence."

"He left my name." Ziva reminded him.

"It's not your fault, Ziver." He said, repeating the words Tony had said to her earlier.

"It feels like it." She confessed.

"I know it does, but you listen to me." Gibbs said, his voice both caring and forceful at the same time. Ziva looked up at him. He had always been a father figure to her, and now her father was actually gone. "Ziva, none of this is your fault. You didn't have any control over it. You didn't know your father was supposed to be killed. You didn't know it was Bodnar. You didn't beat those women. Do you hear me?" Ziva nodded. "Good." He said. He took a sip of his coffee and gave her a feather light kiss on the top of her head.

"Thank you." Ziva whispered. Gibbs didn't reply. He walked away from the squad room and up the stairs towards Vance's office, even though Vance was at home with his kids. It discouraged Gibbs a little that Ziva thought she had to think Gibbs for giving her comfort. _All these years, and she's still holding back. What did she go through that she is still not opening up? _Gibbs thought as he sat in one of the chairs in the director's office. Gibbs was not looking forward to working with Mossad, but he did want to meet Ziva's cousin.

* * *

The morning came slowly for Ziva. She didn't get any more sleep. Tony woke up a few hours later to the sound of Ziva typing on her computer. Malachi was not disturbed.

"Malachi." Ziva eventually began to wake him. Malachi jerked up, ready to fight, much like Ziva did when Tony tried to wake her up from her bad dream. Ziva didn't even seem surprised by this. She quickly pinned him down without effort. "What time does Michael's flight get in?" she asked him.

"9:25." Malachi quickly answered, stretching out his arms. His hair was all messed up, which caused Tony to laugh a little, but Malachi didn't seem to notice.

"It's 8:50." Ziva told him. Malachi jumped up and left the room.

"I will see you soon." He told Ziva.

"Okay." Tony replied, annoying Malachi. Ziva sighed and sat back down at her desk. McGee and Gibbs were at FBI headquarters with Fornell. "Are you okay?" Tony asked her.

"I'm fine." She said unemotionally.

"You know how I feel about the f-word, Ziva." Tony reminded her to which Ziva chuckled.

"I haven't seen Michael in a few years." Ziva said. "I guess I'm just a little nervous." She added.

"When was the last time you saw Michael?" Tony wondered. He was doing cartwheels in his mind. _Good, she's opening up a little. This is what I want. I just have to keep Malachi out of the way. _He thought.

"Right before Malachi and I left for Somalia." Ziva stiffened at the thought. Tony mentally kicked himself. _Great, DiNozzo. Somalia is an off-limits topic. What were you thinking? _He asked himself. The conversation ended there, and Tony didn't make any efforts to continue it, even though he really wanted to.

* * *

Ziva looked at the clock on her computer, which told her the time was 9:47. Malachi and Michael were definitely on their way back to NCIS headquarters by now. McGee and Gibbs had returned with Fornell. They were still trying to cover all angles and see if there was any connection between the three women other than they all looked like Ziva. They weren't having any luck.

The elevator distracted all five of them simultaneously. They all recognized Officer Ben-Gidon, but they weren't expected Michael to look the way he did. He had as dark and sleek as Ziva. He had brown eyes and olive skin, but he seemed a bit McGee-ish in a way. He wore a suit and tie, as opposed to Malachi's black leather and cargo pants. Michael also looked young and his face was very much like a little boy. They all stood up, and somehow Vance seemed to know when the two Mossad officers would arrive back at headquarters. He came down to meet them.

"Officer Sharen, may I present Special Agent Gibbs?" Michael held out his hand to shake Gibbs', and Gibbs obliged. From there, Michael took control of the introductions.

"Call me Michael." He said as he held out his hand to Tony.

"Tony DiNozzo." He said.

"Tim McGee." McGee introduced himself. Michael turned towards Vance.

"Ah, Leon, we haven't spoken in years." Vance smiled a little bit. He shook Michael's hand.

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" Leon said. Gibbs, Tony, and McGee were shocked that Vance and Michael knew each other and addressed each other informally.

"Not since Ziva was a teenager." _Wait! Vance knew Ziva when she was younger? _That question went through all of the agents' minds. "Speaking of which," he turned towards Ziva. "who is this beautiful, successful woman standing in front of me?" he asked. Ziva smiled a little. "This isn't my baby girl who I gave piggyback rides to and taught how to skip rocks." Michael said. He was genuinely happy to see Ziva. "Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to give me a hug?" he opened his arms for Ziva, and Ziva gave him a sisterly hug.

"Hi, Michael." She said.

"Don't you 'Hi, Michael' me." He said seriously. Now he sounded like a Mossad officer. "So, first, your father tells me that you died on a mission to Somalia."

_ There's that word again. _Tony thought.

"Then, Malachi tells me that NCIS rescued you, and you resigned from Mossad. Now, I find out that your father, my uncle, my leader was murdered, and he's after you, too. You have a lot to tell me, Baby Girl." Michael said. Tony smiled at Michael's nickname for her.

"Baby Girl?" Tonya asked. Ziva gave him a playful 'Don't You Dare' look that he loved.

"Ari had trouble remembering her name when she was born. He would just call her a baby girl, and it stuck even when another baby girl came along. It was just an affectionate nickname." Michael explained.

_Maybe Michael will be someone Ziva needs. _Tony thought. _He's obviously a link to good memories and a link to Ziva's past. I'll be able to get some good stories about Ziva out of him while we're at the safe house._

* * *

**So, what do you think? Do you like Michael so far? What did you think about the Gibbs/Ziva scene? Do you want to find out more about Ziva's past? Please, tell me what you think. I love all reviews, so please just send in one. If you've made it this far, you probably have something to comment on. Thank you to everyone who has made it this far. You guys inspire me to keep writing and updating. Remember, I love all feedback. Oh, and I'm new, but I've been seeing disclaimers on everybody else's stories. Am I supposed to put one on mine? Thanks. I'll update soon. Next chapter will be Tony, Ziva, Malachi, and Michael in the safe house. Are you excited? I'm excited to write it. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or NCIS.**

Vance assigned them to another safe house. This one had a living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a couple of couches. They all could sleep comfortably. When they arrived at the safe house, Michael changed into something more comfortable. He came out in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Ziva was a little uncomfortable about having Tony, Malachi, and Michael in the same room. It bothered her like when Tony didn't want Wendy and Ziva together.

"So, Ziva, how have you been?" Michael asked as they all retired to the living room.

"I've been better." Ziva replied.

"I know. I was just trying to start a conversation." Michael said awkwardly, another thing he had in common with McGee.

"Michael, what's the age difference between you and Ziva?" Tony bravely asked. He didn't want to upset Ziva by digging too deep into her past because she knew how much he wanted to.

"Just a little under six years." Michael answered. "Ari was five and a half years older than Ziva."

"So, Ziva's the baby out of all of you?"

"She always has been." Michael smiled. He turned to Ziva. "Hey, Ziva, I was wondering if you could make that delicious lasagna a little later." Ziva nodded. "As Ziva knows, I love Italian food." Michael explained.

"Good, because I do to." Tony said.

"Agent DiNozzo is Italian." Malachi added.

"I can tell by the last name. Are you an immigrant?" Michael wondered.

"No. I was born here, but I am Italian." He clarified. Ziva rolled her eyes slightly. No one noticed. Not even Tony.

* * *

Ziva reluctantly started to make dinner. The kitchen was away from the living room where the three men were currently residing. She didn't want to leave them alone. She knew Tony was in there asking all sorts of questions.

"How do you know Director Vance, Michael?" Tony finally asked the question that was bugging him all day.

"Leon and my Uncle Eli were friends. Eli saved Leon in Amsterdam when Ziva was nine years old. That was right before she was abducted. Leon came to visit when Ziva was fourteen, saw the way Eli treated her, and started to care for her. I met him on that visit." Michael explained. His explanation caught Tony off guard.

"Abducted?" Tony whispered.

"You didn't know?" Michael asked just as softly, taking a sip of his tea as if it were nothing. Tony shook his head.

"She never told me she was abducted when she was nine."

"Perhaps she didn't want you to know, and I ruined it. Look, Tony, Ziva's life could only be described in one word."

_Complicated. _Tony thought, but his answer differed from Michael's.

"Hell." Michael said. "Imagine all the violence she was exposed to as a child. Don't forget domestic abuse. Eli thought he could do whatever wanted to his wife and his children to make them stronger. Also, at the time and still, women are treated like crap. Ziva was the first successful woman in the Israeli Mossad." Michael said.

"She was?" Tony asked.

"Fought with more passion than any of us." Malachi added. "Ziva's been at the mercy of men all her life. She's been controlled, beaten, tortured. She fights for a purpose, or she fought for a purpose."

"She still puts bad guys behind bars." Tony defended her.

"And that's where we differ, Agent DiNozzo. We do not put bad guys behind bars. We put bullets in their heads. We make sure they can never hurt another soul again. We're assassins, but we're good assassins, and Ziva was the best." Malachi said, getting up to do another perimeter check. It was just Tony and Michael. Michael was probably the only person alive who knew Ziva's past best.

"Back to my original question. You can't leave me hanging, Michael. Ziva was abducted?" He returned to their original conversation as they heard Ziva dig for a pan under the stove.

"My cousin's beautiful. She always has been, Tony. Beautiful girls are worth a lot. She was abducted by an old river a few miles away from her home. We used to play there as children. She was sold to the sex slave trade, run by a man named Shakari Shadir. After a few months, Ziva overpowered him. She killed him with the gun he always had pointed at her. She freed the other eleven girls trapped there, and found her way back home. She was never the same." Michael remembered. "Don't tell her I told you that."

Tony held his breath the entire Michael was talking. He didn't want to miss a word. He couldn't believe he didn't know that.

"Who knows about it?" Tony asked.

"Myself, Malachi, Leon, my mother, my sister, my niece, and everyone else who knew took it to the grave." Michael said. "She killed someone when she was ten years old. That's where the hell started. No one should ever treat a child like that. You have no idea the kind of injuries we found on her. We couldn't touch her for weeks. That's when Ari and Ziva's relationship strengthened. Ziva trusted him. He was the one who got her to smile again. Ironic, isn't it, that he took it away to?"

"I guess." Tony said.

"Dinner's ready!" Ziva called from the kitchen. Tony hadn't even noticed the aroma of Italian in the air. Tony and Michael joined Ziva in the kitchen. Malachi came in a few minutes afterwards. Ziva got up to get drinks.

"I'll help you." Tony offered.

"Thank you." Ziva smiled. She reached for ceramic mugs that were already in the cabinets, and handed them to Tony to fill with tea. Tony wasn't being subtle about the way he was looking at her.

"What?" she finally asked.

"Nothing." Tony replied, turning his head and focusing on the iced tea and the ceramic mug in front of him.

_What did Michael tell him? _Ziva thought as she sat down in the chair at the end of the table.

"Ziva, the lasagna is excellent." Michael said after moments of silence.

"Thank you." Ziva said, taking a sip of her tea.

"You're welcome. Tony, have you ever had Ziva's cooking before?" Michael asked. Tony thought about it.

"Once. She had a dinner party and invited everyone except me," Tony paused while Michael and Malachi laughed. "and we were trapped in this cargo hold all day, and she felt bad about not inviting me, so she made me dinner that night." Tony remembered. Ziva was surprised that he remembered. The tension from earlier when he had learned that secret, and she didn't know he did had subsided, for now.

* * *

Throughout dinner, Michael got them talking about their experiences on the job and within their partnership. He was very interested in the life Ziva had sacrificed everything for, even her family.

After dinner, Ziva took the dishes and began to watch it. Malachi offered to help her, and she accepted. Malachi was not very happy that Michael had taken so quickly to Tony. Malachi and Michael had been childhood friends. The two of them were supposed to gang up on Tony, not make alliances with him.

Michael and Tony had decided they wanted to watch a movie after Tony called to check in with Gibbs. As he pulled out his phone to call Gibbs, it rang. Sure enough, it was Gibbs.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs said before Tony even answered. "we got another body. Same MO. Also, there was an attack on Israel. It was a bomb that killed Michael's sister and injured his niece. The word 'brightness' was written on the house with his sister's blood."

* * *

**It's a little cliffhanger. So what do you think? Please tell me your honest opinions. I love reviews. Don't worry that awkwardness between Tony and Ziva will go away. Also, how do you think Michael is going to react to his sister's death? How do you think Ziva will react? Would you like me to focus on tiva, the case, Ziva's past, or all 3. Majority will win. Please review. I read every review I get. If you give me a review for this chapter, I'll give you a shout out. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or any of its characters.**

* * *

"_DiNozzo," Gibbs said before Tony even answered. "we got another body. Same MO. Also, there was an attack on Israel. It was a bomb that killed Michael's sister and injured his niece. The word 'brightness' was written on the house with his sister's blood."_

Michael saw Tony's face instantly turn into stone. He was wondering what was going on.

"What do you need me to do, Boss?" Tony asked seriously, something that was a little out of character for him, but Ziva was acting out of character, too.

"Break it to them. Slowly. The three kids are coming to DC, so be prepared to protect them, as well. Bodnar was likely trying to use them to get to Ziva."

"Are they going to be in the safe house with us?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, DiNozzo. Vance will assign you a new safe house, big enough for the six of you. The daughter has some injuries, but nothing potentially fatal. You'll get a new safe house every three days, so don't get too comfortable." Gibbs reminded him.

"Are we any closer to getting him, Gibbs?" Tony asked, searching for an honest answer, but preferring the opposite.

"We got two dead marines, a dead petty officer, a dead navy chaplain, a dead director, a dead wife, a dead sister, an injured daughter, and an agent who blames herself for it. What do you think, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked rhetorically. He hung up, leaving Tony holding the phone to his ear until he heard a dial tone. He didn't want to break the news to everyone.

"What did Gibbs have to say?" Michael asked, a little worried by the expression on Tony's face.

"I'll tell you when Ziva and Malachi get in here." Tony said.

"Ziva! Malachi! Get in here!" Michael exclaimed, which caused Malachi to come running into the living room.

"Michael, are you really that stupid? Keep your voice down!" Malachi scolded him.

"I know what I'm doing, Malachi." Michael scolded him. Ziva came in after that. She was wearing a tank top and sweat pants, which caught the attention of Tony, although he didn't mention it because he had bad news to give.

"What's going on?" Ziva asked, pulling her hair to one side of her head, over her shoulder, and twisting it into a ponytail.

"Tony just talked to Gibbs." Michael answered before Tony could as Ziva came to sit down on the couch next to Tony. Malachi sat on the other side of Ziva, which caused Michael to internally chuckle.

"What did Gibbs say?" Ziva asked, focused on the seriousness in her partner's eyes.

"They found another body."

"Same MO?" Malachi asked. Tony nodded. Malachi figured that was all. He did not think another body was such a big deal that Tony had to call everyone in the same room to hear it at the same time, but Ziva knew he wouldn't do that. She knew better.

"There's more." Ziva said. It wasn't a question. Tony always wondered how she could be like that. He could say it was her training, but it was her personality. She was like Gibbs in that way. "I'm guessing by the expression on your face that it's not good news you have to tell us." Tony shook his head.

"Well, what is it?" Malachi asked.

"A bomb went off in Israel."

"Bombs are everywhere in Israel. A bomb is no surprise to us." Michael said.

"Let him finish." Ziva reprimanded Michael. She wished Tony would just spit it out. She knew he was trying to protect her from whatever bad news he had to say, but she didn't want to be protected from it. She had to know, and Tony's resistance to answer was beginning to annoy her.

"The bomb had targets. Four, actually." He looked at Michael. "Your sister and her three kids." Tony said. Michael's nostrils flared and his breathing was deeper.

"Did the bomber succeed?" Ziva asked, trying to remain calm, but Tony could see through her attempts.

"Your sister passed away, and your niece is injured."

"Which niece?" Michael quickly asked.

"I don't know, but the three kids are coming here for safety. They need protection. They'll be in a safe house with us." Tony continued.

"Do you believe the bomber was Bodnar?" Malachi asked, feeling sorry for his friend.

"The word 'brightness' was written on the house with your sister's blood." There was no way to make that statement sound nicer. That was extremely morbid. It was horrifying, and he had to tell the victim's brother and cousin about it.

"Brightness?" Ziva asked slowly.

_Brightness- everyone's new favorite word._

"Yes." Tony answered with caution.

"So, we have a dead body and a bomb on two different continents." Malachi reminded them. "There's no way he could have left the country, and fled to Israel in that short time frame, undetected. That means…"

"He's not working alone." Ziva finished for him.

"And if he isn't," Michael began. "the people he is working with are likely with the Mossad. We may have a big security threat on our hands, Malachi."

"I know." Malachi said. "Did you tell anyone you were leaving the country on assignment?" he asked. Michael nodded. "Did you tell them what the assignment was?" Michael shook his head. "Well, that doesn't help narrow down potential threats." Malachi continued, rubbing his temples.

"Has anyone been acting suspiciously lately?" Tony asked.

"Our job is to have good covers, hide our emotions, infiltrate terrorist cells, slave trades, and kill. That's what we do, Agent DiNozzo. That's why we have never been very good at identifying moles within. It's our training. It throws us off. We can never identify where the damage is coming from until it's too late." Malachi explained.

"If we could, we would have caught Bodnar before it happened." Michael said.

"Is there anything Gibbs wants us to do?" Ziva asked.

"He wants us to stay put for now." Tony answered.

"When do the children come?" she wondered.

"Gibbs didn't say."

"Is that all?"

"For now." Ziva got up and quickly walked away. Michael and Malachi didn't go after her. Tony got up to follow her.

"Leave her alone, Tony." Michael told him. "She just needs to be alone right now. Let her have time to analyze the situation, and then bottle it up. That's what she always does."

_Maybe, that's what the Ziva you know did. _Tony thought. _But right now she needs someone to help her work through it. She can't do everything alone. _Tony followed her into the hallway farthest away from Michael and Malachi. It was the closest hallway to Ziva's current bedroom.

"Ziva?" he called to her. She didn't say anything, but she did stop walking. "Ziva?" he repeated.

"What?" she demanded. Ziva wasn't sad at the moment. She was angry, furious with the situation, with Bodnar, with Mossad, with herself. With herself.

"We will get him, Ziva. We always do. There are always bumps along the way." He tried to comfort her.

"But I'm not always this-this-this **weak**." She emphasized. She turned around to face Tony. His eyes met hers, and her usual warm, beautiful eyes were cold and unemotional.

"If there's anything on this earth that you're not, it's weak, Ziva. You are one of the strongest people I know, and people handle grief in their own ways. This is terrible, Ziva. The whole situation. Everything about it, and you know it. The way you're reacting to this isn't weak. Anyone else would be sobbing uncontrollably or unable to help, but you're not helpless. Everyone needs help eventually, and none of this is your fault, and I think somewhere deep, deep, deep, deep inside yourself, you know that's true. You just need to find it, and I'm here to help you find it, and not just me. You have Gibbs, McGee, Abby, Ducky, Palmer, Vance, Thing 1 and Thing 2." He said gesturing to Michael and Malachi somewhere in the house which caused her to sincerely smile. "You're not alone." He reminded her in English.

"I guess I just need the reminder sometimes." Ziva replied as she took his hand and squeezed it. She removed her hand from his and gave him a hug, similar to the one they had shared at the airport, but more intimate.

"I'm here anytime you need the reminder." She smiled.

"I know. Can I tell you something?" she asked.

"Anything." Tony replied.

"I'm honestly a little scared. He's showing me that he can take things away from me instantly. I'm scared that he will try to take my NCIS family away. Isn't that Ari tried to do to Gibbs?" she asked. It was a perfectly legitimate fear, but it bothered Tony that Ari kept popping back up into the conversation.

"I'm not going to tell you that there's nothing to be scared of like some other person might," he said. "but I will tell you that it's okay to be scared. Can I tell you something else?" he asked. Ziva nodded. "I'm scared that Bodnar will take you away." He whispered. Ziva's heart was doing front flips, but knew that he was trying to calm her down.

"That is something I can control, and I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon." Tony smiled.

"Goodnight, Ziva." He said.

"Goodnight, Tony." She replied, walking into her bedroom and closing the door.

* * *

**I gave you another tiva scene. Well, not a romantic one, but a comforting one, so please review. Really, I have 1500 views and only 14 reviews. I really want to hear what you think about it. Thank you to everyone who has made it this far. I'll update soon. I promise. Thanks, guys.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Special shout out to dreaming-of-tonight, rosaliecoolcool, StarWriter0303, jdeasselin, moonserenity089, never-give-up-hope2, acciocrazychick, and NazChick who have reviewed so far. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any of its characters.**

* * *

The next morning caught Ziva by surprise. It took her a minute to process where she was and why she smelled breakfast being cooked. She walked into the kitchen to see Tony burning an omelet on the stove.

"Tony, what are you doing?" she asked.

"Well, I was trying to make breakfast, but that didn't work very well." Ziva intervened.

"You're gonna set the smoke alarm off." Ziva told him and took the pan from his hand. She glanced at the stove. "You have the burner on the highest level, Tony." She noticed.

"So?"

"That's for boiling water. You have to turn it down." She said and moved her hand towards the burner to turn it down. Tony playfully slapped her hand.

"You made dinner last night. I'll make breakfast." Ziva smiled and walked away.

"Okay."

"Gibbs called after you went to bed." That got Ziva back into the kitchen.

"What did he say?"

"The kids come in at three. Hey, can you help me remember their names? You told them to me once, but I can't remember. Gibbs said it's the older daughter that got hurt." Ziva took a deep breath.

"That's Cammy. It's short for Carmela. She's fourteen. When she was younger, she would call me Zeba. She might still. I haven't seen her in person since she was ten. What happened to her exactly?" Ziva asked, the question bothering her all night.

"She had some pieces of shrapnel stuck in her legs and arms. It's nothing very dangerous. They've all been surgically removed and bandaged. We just need to clean her wounds and give her new bandages twice a day."

"Okay. The boy is named Nariq. We call him Ricky. He's four years old, and the baby is two months old. Her name is Marianina. Just call her Nina." Ziva finished. "So, where are Malachi and Michael?" she wondered.

"Sleeping."

"Still?"

"I guess breakfast didn't wake them up."

"You mean ashes didn't wake them up?" Ziva corrected, walking back to her room to get dressed for the day.

* * *

After breakfast, Ziva mainly stayed in her room, reading. She had finally read half the book when she heard Malachi and Michael get up. She wasn't exactly sure how she felt about them being there, especially because they were assigned to protect her. Her thoughts were interrupted when Tony knocked on her door.

"Ziva, it's Tony." He said.

"Come in." he entered her room with a cell phone pressed against his ear.

"He wants to talk to you. It's Gibbs." Tony whispered and handed her the phone.

"Gibbs?"

"Ziver, I need you and DiNozzo to come in, even if it means Ben-Gidon and Sharen have to come with you."

"What do you need us for, Gibbs?" Ziva asked, placing the bookmark in her book and getting out of her bed. Gibbs didn't answer. He hung up, leaving Ziva confused.

"He wants us to come in." she told Tony. He nodded.

"With tweedledee and tweedledum?" Tony was met with a confused expression on Ziva's face.

"What?"

"Well I can't say Thing 1 and Thing 2 every time, can I?" he questioned, took his cell phone from her hand, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

The four of them arrived at headquarters around eleven. Gibbs was waiting for them.

"Ziva, I need you to look through these four women and see what you can find." Gibbs instructed her.

"What do you mean, Gibbs?" Ziva asked. "Is there something in particular that you are looking for? Is there something specific you want me to find?"

"McGee did some digging. Out of all of the female navy and marines, why these four? There are some many with brown eyes, brown hair, and olive skin. What is so special about these four?" Gibbs turned to Michael. "Officer Sharen, you work with Ziva on this. Officer Ben-Gidon, I want you following leads with DiNozzo. McGee's in the lab with Abby, and Fornell's following other leads with me. Let's go!" he exclaimed, and everybody responded.

Michael pulled up a chair at Ziva's desk. He would analyze the background of these four women until Michael had to pick up the kids from the airport.

"Do you have any feelings about anything?" Michael asked her.

"I was thinking that it had to do with the fathers, because three of them had fathers who left or divorced their mothers, but the fourth has happily married parents." Ziva said.

"But Gibbs is right. There has to be something more than physical characteristics or else so many more would be dead." Michael reminded her. "There has to be something else."

"Do you think maybe he was staking out, and he killed the first women he saw who fit the description?" Tony wondered.

"That doesn't sound like Bodnar." Malachi jumped in. "Bodnar's clean, precise. He likes to be in control. He likes to have things planned. For the victims to be random seems out of character."

"Malachi's right." Ziva agreed. "He wouldn't pick women at random. He's trying to send a message." Tony's cell phone rang.

"DiNozzo." He answered.

"DiNozzo, we got another body. Same MO. Run the name. Petty Officer 1st class Jasmine Watson. Have McGee and Duck meet me at the crime scene…" Tony wrote down the address where the body was.

"We got another body." Tony told the group in the squad room. They all looked up at him. "Petty Officer 1st class Jasmine Watson." He said. They all wrote down the name and began to run it, looking for similarities to the others. "I gotta call McGee and Ducky." He announced, dialing numbers on his phone.

"Jasmine, huh?" Michael said when Tony finished calling the two. They were on the way to the crime scene. Palmer was off of work that day.

"What about it, Michael?" Malachi asked him, not looking up from the computer screen. Malachi was writing down notes and other things he thought might be helpful.

"Do you know what I'm thinking about?" Michael asked, setting his pencil down. Tony, Ziva, and Malachi still did not look up from their work.

"Maybe work, Michael?" Malachi asked him. "I think I got something. All five women were born in America." Malachi said.

"So?" Ziva asked.

"Maybe Bodnar is making a statement. Maybe he hates America, and that's how he's showing it." Malachi suggested.

"I think it's more complex than that, Malachi." Ziva said. Malachi shrugged, set the note aside, and continued working.

"So none of you care what I was thinking about?" Michael asked. He was met with silence. Michael felt like a young child in school who the teacher wasn't calling on. He decided he wouldn't wait for them to say anything. "I was thinking about when Ziva was nineteen. Remember, Malachi?"

"I remember a lot of things from when she was nineteen. What do you want me to specifically address?"

"She was undercover as Jasmine Chenay…"

"Oh, I remember that." Malachi said. This got Tony's attention.

"What about it?"

"She wore a strapless, black, lace cocktail dress with curls over her shoulders and stiletto heels to match, singing in French in Paris. That was very memorable." Malachi explained.

"Oh, paint me a picture." Tony said. Ziva rolled her eyes.

"Shut up. Get back to work." She said.

"That has to be my favorite performance of hers." Malachi said before preparing to say nothing more on the topic, but Michael wasn't quite finished yet.

"I liked it when she was undercover in Russia as Elizabeth Jones, the half-British, half-Israeli orphan with a cute accent and a voice of an angel." Michael said. Ziva smiled a little bit, and then looked back at the computer.

"Wait." She said, and she had everyone's attention. "Elizabeth and Jasmine. They were both names I used when I was undercover. They are two of the victims' names." Ziva explained.

"Now, that's something." Michael said. Malachi looked over at his notes.

"And Adrianna's another name. You used that name when you were with Ari in Columbia." Malachi said.

"And you used the name Leslie when you and Malachi were undercover as a couple in Romania. That is something."

"And I was Natalia Chechansky when I was undercover for two months in Turkey." Ziva said. "That's five names. It's too many to be a coincidence." Ziva told Tony.

"You're right. It's too many to be a coincidence, but what's the significance?" Tony asked.

* * *

**Well, chapter 8 is up. 6 chapters in one day. I really do like to update. Thank you so much to everyone who has made it up to this point. I love it when people actually read what I write, and they enjoy it. Please tell me what you think about it up to this point. Your favorite part? Things you don't particularly care for? Just please let me know. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Special shout out to KaiaBlackrock who gave me the idea to make Tony a little more protective over Ziva. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any of its characters. **

"You're right. It's too many to be a coincidence, but what's the significance?" Tony asked.

"I'm not exactly sure what it means, but it can't be a coincidence." Ziva said.

"Okay. Well, there isn't much we can do with it right now. I'll call Gibbs and fill him in. Michael, you need to pick the kids up in an hour." Tony said, looking at the clock. His eyes followed Ziva, and she was looking a little relieved. Only a little. "Actually, Michael, I'll pick up the kids." Ziva looked up at him.

"Tony, you don't like children." Ziva said.

"That's not completely true." Tony defended himself. Ziva gave him a look that made him flinch a little. "Ziva, I want to pick up Cammy and see how she feels. I want so see Ricky that you haven't seen since he was a baby, and I want to make sure Nina is all set with things she needs." He explained. Ziva softly smiled. She couldn't believe he remembered everything she told him.

"Michael, let Tony go." She said.

"Why?"

"I need you hear with me, Michael. You know my past which is what Bodnar is trying to use in a message. I need you to help decode everything. Please. The kids will be fine with Tony." Ziva said. Michael nodded, and Tony grabbed his backpack and headed for the elevator.

"What's with you and Tony?" Michael whispered in her ear.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't even think about using that crap on me. You know exactly what I mean, Ziva. What's going on between the two of you?" Michael asked again.

"Nothing, we're just co-workers." Ziva said.

"Really, because not all co-workers communicate like that."

"It's like how Malachi and I were. We were extremely close without a romantic attraction. We defended each other's lives every day. We had to be close. We had to trust each other." Ziva explained.

"Well, Ziva, let me tell you something. You might not have had a romantic attraction to Malachi, but he was in love with you the whole time." He whispered even quieter than before, surprising Ziva with what he said. He smiled at the way her eyes grew bigger, just like he had intended them to. "I'm going to be right back. I have to go to the restroom. Do you want anything from the vending machine?" he asked. Ziva shook her head. Michael smirked to himself as he walked out of the squad room.

Malachi had not heard the conversation. He was across the room at a desk that had never been given to a member of Team Gibbs. He looked over and saw Michael whisper something in Ziva's ear, but he had no idea what it was.

* * *

Tony came back with the kids forty-five minutes later. Ziva's heart melted a little when she saw the way Tony came in with the kids. Cammy was obviously frightened by her wounds and the fact that her mother was dead, but she was holding onto Tony's hand and carrying Nina in her other arm. Tony had taken her bag and put it over his shoulder while balancing four-year-old Nariq on his hip because he had not wanted to walk. Cammy saw Ziva and immediately let go of Tony's hand.

"Ziva!" Cammy cried. Ziva opened her arms to Cammy, and Cammy ran into them, careful that she didn't hurt Nina. Cammy began to shed silent tears into Ziva's shoulder as Ziva smoothed out the back of her head. Ziva knew not to say 'It's okay' like Ari had said to her when her mother died, because she knew for certain this situation was not okay, so Ziva held Cammy silently for a few minutes before speaking.

"You're such a brave girl." Ziva whispered.

"No, I'm not." Cammy choked out. Nina was passed to Ziva and currently being cradled in her arms. Ziva ushered them to the break room where Cammy leaned against her, and Nariq was in her lap, playing with Ziva's shirt sleeve.

"No one should have to go through what you went through, Cammy."  
"You did." Cammy reminded her while Ziva wiped her tears. "Multiple times."

"No one should have to go what you went through." Ziva repeated. "Love and loss is a

part of life, and we try to prepare ourselves, but nothing can prepare us for grief, and you're right I went through this, but I bottled it up and tried to move on, like I did with everything, and I'm not going to let you do that, okay?"

"Uncle Eli told me it was a bad think to cry."

"He told me the exact same thing, and I believed him, and I'm still struggling with it. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that everything is okay. I'm not going to say it's a part of life, but I will tell you that I'm right here, and I will be right here for you whenever you need me." Cammy nodded into Ziva's shoulder. When she was done crying, Ziva took her hand and brought her back into the squad room. Michael and Malachi had just left Vance's office, and Cammy left Ziva to hug her uncle.

"I'm sorry I didn't pick you up." Michael told her.

"That is okay. Tony is really nice." Cammy said.

* * *

Vance assigned them a bigger safe house. Cammy had her own room. Ricky and Nina would stay with Ziva in her room. The Mossad officers offered to give Tony the third bedroom, but Tony refused it. The house was two stories. Ziva and the kids were on the second floor. Tony decided to stay on the stairs, just in case anyone came in. He was defending the four.

Somewhere around midnight, Ziva came out of her room to see Tony awake with a gun in his hand on the stairs.

"Tony, what are you doing?" she whispered.

"What I'm supposed to be doing. Protecting you." He answered, yawning a little bit. Ziva smiled a little bit before taking her seat beside him on the stairs.

"What are you doing?" he asked her in return.

"I was getting some milk for Nina's bottle. She's almost out." Ziva replied, gesturing to the nearly empty baby bottle in her hand. "Tony, you need to go to sleep. You're obviously tired."

"Mike and Mal are outside, making sure no one's coming. Bodnar must know by now that we moved the kids, and he has to know that the kids are with you. It's my job to protect you, Ziva." He reminded her.

"And who's protecting you, Tony? Michael and Malachi? Because let me tell you something about Mossad officers that I had to learn the hard way. It's every man for himself or every woman for herself." She said.

"Are you going to get the milk for Nina's bottle?" he asked her when she wasn't moving for a while.

"No, Tony. I'm going to stay right here. I'm protecting you." Tony laughed.

"That's not how it's supposed to be, Ziva."

"We're partners. We have each other's backs, Tony. It's not you protect me, and I do nothing." She explained.

"You're not doing nothing."

"I'm hiding while my father's murderer is after me. This is exactly what Bodnar would want me to do. He wants me to be afraid. He wants me to hide these kids. He wants me to hide behind NCIS, Mossad, and FBI…" she began getting worked up until Tony put a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, I want you to stay alive, and if this is what it takes, Ziva, I don't care. I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you. I-I" it was then that Tony realized how close he was to Ziva. His lips were only centimeters from hers. He wanted to lean in just a little bit more, but he would feel like it was cabin fever. He would feel like he was taking advantage of her, so he leaned in just a little bit, and Ziva met him the rest of the way.

The kiss was very slow and sweet. It didn't last very long, but it was long enough for them. Tony pulled back first once he fully understood what they were doing.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, looking into her eyes, illuminated by the only light on in the house above them.

"Why?" she asked.

"I shouldn't have kissed you." He said.

"If you didn't want to…" he cut her off.

"Trust me, Ziva, I wanted to. I'm just not sure if it was what you wanted, especially because everything is so emotional right now." She cut him off by softly pressing her lips to his once more. She pulled back, leaving him a little stunned.

"It's what I want."

* * *

**That was chapter 9. Please tell me what you think. Is there anything in particular you liked about it? Is there something you think I should work on or elaborate? I'll probably update with another couple of chapters today, but please review. I'm up to 3,010 hits, but only 21 reviews. I read every review, so please tell me what you think. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything about NCIS, including past plot lines and characters.**

* * *

"It's what I want."

"Are you sure?"

"Tony, you and I both know that this isn't just a spontaneous, accidental kiss." She said. She gave him a 'don't even try to challenge me because you and I both know I'm right' look. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Okay." He said.

"We have each other's backs, Tony. There are two options here. I'll take watch while you go to bed…" she began.

"Or?" Tony asked.

"We can leave the protection detail to Mossad." Ziva said.

"I like the second option." Tony said as Ziva got up to do the original task she had intended to do.

"I thought you would." Ziva finally said as she walked down the rest of the stairs, giving him a smile at the bottom, and going to the kitchen. When she came back to go back to her room, he was asleep on the stairs. She smiled while stepping over him, going back to her room.

* * *

Cammy was already awake when Ziva got up. Ziva left Nina on the blanket on top of her bed to sleep for a while and took Ricky down the stairs with her. Cammy was sitting at the kitchen table with Tony, who had just given her a drink.

"Orange juice, mi 'lady." He said.

"Thank you, Tony." Cammy replied softly. She looked up to the sound of footsteps on the stairs and saw Ziva, balancing her brother on her hip.

"Good morning, Cammy." Ziva said as she kissed the top of her head.

"Good morning, Ziva." Michael and Malachi didn't sleep the night before, and Tony told them to sleep while he took guard. The two Mossad officers had given Tony their spare guns, and he had no idea how Ziva ever carried three guns at once.

"Hey, Tony."

"Ziva." he greeted. _Oh, no. _Tony thought. _She's acting like nothing even happened last night. _The worried look on his face did not go unnoticed by Ziva, and she set down Nariq on the chair beside Cammy.

"Cammy, what do you want for breakfast?" Ziva asked, walking over to where Tony was near the stove. Her hand found his behind her back, and she gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Can you make pancakes?" she asked.

"I think I can manage that. Can you go check on Nina for me?" Ziva asked. Once Cammy was up the stairs and Nariq wasn't paying attention to them, Tony kissed Ziva. It was more like a peck than anything, but he needed that physical contact to comfort him that she was still there. More importantly, she was still there for him.

Cammy came back down the stairs with Nina in her arms at the same time that Malachi and Michael walked into the kitchen. Michael kissed the top of Cammy's head, just like Ziva had done, and he tickled Ricky's stomach.

"What are you making?" he asked Ziva as Malachi sat down beside Ricky.

"Pancakes."

"Oooo, Cammy's favorite." Michael said. Cammy smiled, and Tony suddenly felt out of place. He had only known the kids for a day, and he didn't share the same history with Ziva as Malachi and Michael did.

"Cammy, do you want to watch some TV?" Ziva asked when she saw Cammy eying the small television in the kitchen. The young girl nodded. "What do you want to watch?"

"The news, please." Tony smiled. That sounded like something Ziva would say.

"Cammy seems to be a lot like you, Ziva." Tony noticed. Ziva and Cammy shared a look and smiled.

"They get that a lot." Michael jumped in. "Cammy's always looked up to Ziva. She was Cammy's superhero." Michael laughed. "It devastated her when she thought you died, Baby Girl." Ziva accidentally spilled some coffee onto the counter when he said that. Malachi jumped up to help Ziva clean it up.

"Thank you, Malachi." Ziva said while she threw away the paper towel.

"Ziva, I have something to give you, actually. I've wanted to give it to you since I got here, but I was waiting for a good time when you weren't so distracted." Michael said as he reached for his coat pocket. "It was not the kind of thing I could have just mailed to you. It is much too special. It had to be delivered in person."

"What is it, Michael?" Ziva asked. She honestly didn't know what to expect. It was something that could fit into his coat pocket. Michael stood up in front of her and showed her the plastic bag in his hand. It was not the plastic bag. It was what was in the plastic bag.

"Oh, my God, Michael!" Ziva explained. Her eyes said it all. She was obviously surprised in happy, even though bad memories were threatening to plague her thoughts. Inside the bag was her original Star of David necklace that she had first come to NCIS. It was the necklace that Saleem Ulman ripped from her neck and threw on the ground when she was being tortured. "Where did you find it?" she asked.

"After NCIS rescued you from Somalia and killed the people in the camp, Mossad had to come and clean up. We had to survey everything and make sure the people we wanted to die were dead. When we cleaned out the camp, we found the cell you had been kept in, and under a layer of sand, I found this." Michael explained. Tony finally realized what it was. He didn't know the original necklace meant so much to her. Ziva wrapped her arms around her cousin's neck.

"Thank you so much." She managed to say.

"The chain was ruined, but the pendant was fine, and I know that's all that matters. Of course, we did have to clean the blood off of the pendant, but the engraving on the back is still there." Michael remembered.

"Engraving?" Tony asked.

"Yes. Uncle Eli had one engraved for each of his children the day they were born. They all say '**My Child'** on the back. This necklace was basically the only present Eli ever gave to Ziva. It was given to her at birth." Michael explained. "Do you want me to put it on you?" he asked. Ziva nodded and quickly removed the necklace that she had bought as a replacement, although it wasn't the same. Michael delicately placed the necklace on his cousin who was smiling radiantly.

Ziva saw Cammy out of the corner of her eye glance at the necklace that was in her hand.

"Hey, Cammy," she said, catching her attention. "Do you want this necklace?" she asked. Cammy smiled and nodded.

"Your necklace is still the best." Cammy said.

"And why's that?" Ziva asked.

"Your necklace no longer only represents your father being with you. Uncle Michael told me what happened to you in Somalia. He said you went through a lot, and you were tortured for information, but you're strong, Ziva. You survived the torture and didn't say a word. This necklace represents that. It survived Somalia with you. It signifies your strength." Cammy said. Ziva gave Cammy a hug. She took Ricky in her lap, and he automatically began to play with her necklace.

"I can't imagine what you went through, Zi." Michael said.

"You've been tortured before, Michael." Ziva notified him.

"Not as much as you. I mean, in your life, you've been beaten, raped, tortured, and it hasn't been just one isolated occasion." Ziva suddenly slapped Michael's hand.

"Ziva, you will have to talk about it eventually." Malachi told her.

"It's not that, Malachi." Ziva turned to Tony. "Tony, how did the five victims die again?" She wondered.

"They were all beaten to death." Tony said.

"But before then, they were raped and tortured. Their fingernails were pulled off. Their legs were cut up. They were shaved bald. Their clothes were torn off, and they were raped." Ziva said.

"Yes." Tony agreed with her. He wasn't exactly sure what this was leading up to.

"That's all happened to you, Ziva." Malachi realized. She nodded.

"You think that Bodnar is killing these women using different things that happened to you when you were with Mossad?" Michael asked. Ziva nodded.

* * *

**What do you think about Chapter 10? I can't believe people have actually made it this far. People actually like my story, which makes me happy. Please review. In case you haven't already noticed, I love reading reviews-good and bad. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has to do with NCIS, its past story lines, or its characters. **

* * *

"You think that Bodnar is killing these women using different things that happened to you when you were with Mossad?" Michael asked. Ziva nodded.

"He could be." Malachi agreed. Tony pulled out his phone to call Gibbs.

"Gibbs." He answered.

"Hey, Gibbs, we thing we got something." Tony said.

"Well, we've got another dead petty officer. Only this time the word 'brightness' wasn't left beside her." Gibbs said. Tony put Gibbs on speaker phone then, so he wouldn't have to repeat everything.

"Then what was, Boss?" he asked.

"Carved into her back was 'You're Next'." That was all it took Michael before he jumped on Ziva and the three kids, pulling them out of their chairs. Ziva heard Cammy whimper, but before she could say anything or resist the force, a deafening explosion broke through the house, leaving Ziva wedged under the kitchen door, but she was unconscious before she even realized something happened.

* * *

Ziva woke up in pain, and when she tried to move her hands, she found one on top of hers. She looked up, hoping it was Tony, but it wasn't. It was Gibbs.

"Ziver," he said. "You're finally awake."

"What happened?" Ziva asked frantically. "Where is everyone?" she wondered, quickly sitting up and instantly regretting it.

"Take it easy." He said.

"What happened?" she asked again.

"The safe house was bombed." He simply answered. He knew he would have to tell her how everyone was doing, but he didn't want to. "We didn't find a timer. We think that Bodnar was watching and waiting for us to call you to detonate." Gibbs explained.

"How is everyone?" there was the question Gibbs had been dreading.

"DiNozzo's got a concussion, broken hand, and smashed knee. Malachi's neck got cut pretty bad from the shrapnel. He also has a broken leg. Cammy has shrapnel imbedded in her stomach which had to be surgically removed. Nariq's in surgery trying to get shrapnel out of his head. Nina has internal bleeding, and you have a concussion, three broken vertebrae, and a crushed leg."

"And Michael?" Ziva asked, realizing Gibbs had left him out of all the explanations.

"He was crushed by the wall, Ziva. He was closest to it, and he jumped when he realized the place was bombed. He tried to protect you and the kids, which he did. They tried to revive him in the ambulance, but he didn't make it."

"How did he know where we were?" Ziva asked.

"It means we either have a mole in NCIS or Mossad." Gibbs said.

"Or both." Ziva added.

"Or both." He repeated.

"Can I leave this room?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know if that's the best for your back, Ziver." Gibbs said. She gave him a look, and he shot one right back at her.

"Who have you talked to so far?"

"DiNozzo, Malachi, and Cammy. They all asked for you once they saw me." Gibbs told her. "Malachi's relieved you're okay. He said that Michael would have rather died protecting you than to have died protecting himself. He had a job, Ziver. He was trusted to protect you, and he did. He saved your life. He died doing his job."

"How am I supposed to feel about that, Gibbs?"

"What do you mean?" Ziva tried to sit up a little, and Gibbs helped her because Ziva was in too much pain to do it by herself, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

"You're right. He died protecting me. How many people have already died because of me? We have five women in the navy and marines who are dead because of their names and appearances! Two of my cousins are dead! I could have lost my partner! All of this is my fault!" she exclaimed.

"You done?" Gibbs asked. She nodded, to which Gibbs lightly tapped the back of Ziva's head. He would never slap her head like he would slap Tony's, especially not if she has a concussion, but the point got to her.

"You listen to me. I already told you once, David. None of this is your fault. The second you sincerely believe this is your fault will be the second where Bodnar does get you. You understand me?" she nodded. He got up to leave.

"Can you tell them I'm okay?" she asked. "Can you tell them I want to see them?" Gibbs didn't reply in any way whatsoever, not even a nod, but she had faith that he would pass on the message. While she was in thought, she reached up and touched her neck out of habit. She held the pendant of her necklace tightly. She held it there so long her palms were sweating.

"Thank you, Michael." She whispered when the pain medication had taken effect and knocked her out.

* * *

"She's awake." Gibbs said as he barged into Tony's hospital room.

"She is?" he asked. Gibbs nodded. "How is she?"

"Pissed."

"Well, I am, too." He agreed. "How did Michael even know the place was rigged to

blow? He tackled them to the ground before it went off." Tony told him.

"I know. I wish I could thank him. He must have had some kind of sixth sense once I told him what the message was."

"I can't believe we're all not dead."

"Neither can I. I'm starting to think that Bodnar messed up with the bomb. The explosion wasn't as big as I think he intended it to be. It was supposed to kill all of you, but it didn't even completely destroy the second story of the house."

"You think he messed up, Boss? He hasn't messed up once so far."

"Yeah, he has. We know it's him."

"Doesn't he want us to know it's him?" Tony asked him, rubbing his head.

"Yeah, DiNozzo, and that's his mistake." Gibbs said.

"What exactly does he want with Ziva? I don't understand how she would be valuable to him. Does she know something he doesn't, or what is it?"

"I had been thinking the same thing myself, so I went and knocked on Ben-Gidon's door. I threatened him a little bit, and he told me that there's something Ziva doesn't know."

"What is it, Boss?"  
"I'm about to tell you, DiNozzo." Gibbs said. "Mossad does this thing with the directors.

There currently isn't a director of Mossad. They're basically governing themselves. Eli's dead, so they go to the assistant director, Bodnar. Bodnar kills Eli, so he can be director, but when we catch him, that eliminates him. Mossad decided that the officer with the highest skill, best track record, and good leadership should take the director's chair. That person just happened to be Eli's daughter." Gibbs clarified. "Mossad is willing to get her back over as the director. That's why Michael and Malachi came. It wasn't to protect her."

"It was to talk her into taking her father's place as the Director of Mossad." Tony realized, and Gibbs nodded in return, indicating that Tony hit the nail directly on the head.

* * *

**Here is Chapter 11. Did you like it? Did you hate it? Did you have anything to say about it? Please review this chapter. I really love hearing from you. I update because you ask me to. I'll try to incorporate anything you think I should. Thank you so much for making it this far. I sincerely appreciate all the reviews I have been receiving. I am thankful that people are actually enjoying this story. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has to do with NCIS or its charcters.**

* * *

_There currently isn't a director of Mossad. They're basically governing themselves. Eli's dead, so they go to the assistant director, Bodnar. Bodnar kills Eli, so he can be director, but when we catch him, that eliminates him. Mossad decided that the officer with the highest skill, best track record, and good leadership should take the director's chair. That person just happened to be Eli's daughter." Gibbs clarified. "Mossad is willing to get her back over as the director. That's why Michael and Malachi came. It wasn't to protect her."_

_"It was to talk her into taking her father's place as the Director of Mossad." Tony realized, and Gibbs nodded in return, indicating that Tony hit the nail directly on the head._

"And Ziva doesn't know?" Tony asked.

"She has no idea."

"But she wouldn't accept the offer, would she?"

"I don't know, DiNozzo." Gibbs said in reply. He took another sip of his coffee casually. Ziva was in such a state where she would probably feel obligated to follow in her father's footsteps, no matter how much it devastated the team.

"No, she wouldn't." Tony decided.

"Just don't talk to her about it." Gibbs ordered.

"Why, Boss?"

"I don't plan on letting her know for a while. I need to let her cool down. She's so intent on finding Bodnar that she just might take the position if offered. I've got to keep a muzzle on Ben-Gidon, though."

"I'll help you out with that, Boss." Gibbs smiled.

"I know you will, DiNozzo." Gibbs said as he prepared himself to leave Tony's hospital room. He had to pay a visit to everyone's favorite Mossad officer.

"Ah, Agent Gibbs." Malachi said when Gibbs entered the room.

"How you feeling, Ben-Gidon?" Gibbs asked as he sat down in the chair beside Malachi's bed.

"The pain reliever hasn't quite taken effect yet. Thank you for asking." Malachi said. He knew Gibbs didn't care about how much pain he was. Malachi was stalling because he knew Gibbs was upset with him.

"Stay away from Ziva." Gibbs ordered. He decided to cut the small talk.

"Aren't you one for, how do you say, beating around the bush?" it irritated Gibbs a little that Malachi got that idiom right.

"You don't want to play with me, Ben-Gidon." Gibbs said, suddenly very serious. "I'm telling you to stay away from Ziva."

"That will be very difficult, Agent Gibbs. After all, I am a part of her protection detail." Malachi reminded him.

"Not anymore, you're not." Gibbs said. The smirk on Malachi's face fell.

"Are you afraid of losing her, Agent Gibbs, because let me just tell you that you will lose her one day. No matter how close you are, you are not a real family. She has great potential. You have no idea what she can do. She's not meant to be chained to a desk, investigating crimes. She was never taught to do that."

"I taught her." Gibbs jumped in.

"From her childhood, all she knows how to do is kill and seduce. That is it. A leopard can't change its spots, Agent Gibbs. Ziva's an assassin. It's all she'll ever be. You've never seen her really fight. You already know she can shoot. After all, she did shoot her brother from behind your washing machine." Malachi took pleasure in seeing Gibbs' face turn to stone. "You didn't think I knew about that, did you, Agent Gibbs?" he asked. "She's a good assassin."

"She's a damn good investigator."

"Her father intended for her to be an assassin." That's what Gibbs was afraid of. He was pulling the 'your father's dead, and he would have wanted you to finish what he started' card.

"She wants to be an investigator."

"Then why are you afraid of losing her, Agent Gibbs? Ziva has such a pretty face. It would be a shame if something were to happen to it."

"Is that a threat, Officer Ben-Gidon, because let me just remind you who's the visitor and who's in charge? If anything happens to Ziva, I will personally see to it that you find yourself in the same jail cell as Bodnar."

"Is that a threat, Agent Gibbs?"

"Damn right." Gibbs said as he slammed Malachi's door to his room shut.

* * *

McGee came to visit everyone at the hospital, particularly Tony and Ziva. He brought Ziva red roses, and he brought Tony movies. Ziva had already tried to break out of her hospital room four times. She was caught by Gibbs each time.

"You get to leave in two days, Ziva." McGee told her.

"Tony gets to leave tomorrow." She said angrily. McGee chuckled.

"He gets to leave his hospital room, but he's not leaving this hospital until you get discharged." He told her. She smiled.

"I hate being stuck in a hospital bed. This is the perfect place for Bodnar to kill me, McGee, and the worst part is he could just walk in here, and I wouldn't be able to fight back. I can't take being trapped in small rooms like this." Ziva said, tossing and turning around in her bed, trying and failing to get comfortable.

"Are you claustrophobic?" he asked her. Ziva looked up at him.

"A little." She confessed. "And I have not been all my life, only since I was held captive." She told him. It all made sense to McGee. It scared her to be trapped like that because it made her think of when she was held captive.

"If I let you out of your room, would you tell anyone?" he asked, suddenly feeling bad for her.

"Is Gibbs here?" she asked. She didn't want to be busted by Gibbs again. McGee wouldn't have suggested the idea if Gibbs had been there.

"He's back at headquarters having a meeting with Director Vance." Ziva smiled. She always knew she could count on McGee.

"So, will you let me out of my hospital room?" she asked. McGee looked around. The nurses weren't due to check back up on her for another couple of hours. He sighed.

"Yes, I will let you out of your room." Ziva instantly tried to get up too quickly, which resulted in pain, but she hid it from McGee, who was never very good at reading the expressions on her face anyways, but she still loved him. He helped her out of her bed, and supported her weight until she could get to her crutches.

"I hate these." Ziva said. McGee smiled. For the entire time she would be on crutches, McGee knew that all he would ever would be how much she hated crutches, or how much she wished she could break them in half, or something else along those lines. McGee stayed with Ziva the entire time she limped around, no matter how much she wanted him to go away.

"Ziva, where are you trying to go?" he finally asked her after following her around for ten minutes.

"Cammy's room." Ziva answered. McGee sighed.

"It's the other way." He told her. Ziva automatically turned around.

"What floor?"

"Third."

"What room?"

"329."

"Thank you so much, McGee." Ziva said sincerely. "I'll be back in my room within the hour I promise." She said. McGee reluctantly left her, and Ziva found her way to Cammy's room. Cammy was sobbing in her bed, but she tried to be strong for Ziva, who kept telling her to let it out.

"Ziva, did you hear?" Cammy asked between sobs.

"What, Baby Girl?" Ziva asked, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Nina's dead."

* * *

**Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed my story so far. I really appreciate it. Please review this chapter. I want to know what you think. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of or relating to NCIS.**

* * *

_"Nina's dead."_

Ziva didn't ask her to say it again because she knew how painful it must have been to say it the first time. Nina was only two months old, but she was still a human being. She was a beautiful child who had not even been given a chance in life, yet. They had no idea the kind of person she would have been, or the personality she would have had, but it was too late. Ziva just crawled into Cammy's bed with her, and once again, she held Cammy while she cried for her mother, uncle, and sister.

* * *

Tony was discharged the next day. McGee was wrong. Tony did leave the hospital, but only to buy flowers for Ziva, chocolates for Cammy, and a stuffed bear for Ricky. Ziva was only waking up when Tony snuck into her hospital room and put them next to McGee's.

"Tony?" Ziva asked sleepily.

"Go back to sleep." He said lovingly.

"Too late." She said in reply. He smiled, and Ziva noticed the flowers. "Are those for me?" she asked, gesturing towards the vase of red roses Tony had bought her.

"Yeah. They're for you."

"Who are they from?"

"Me." He said. She smiled.

"Thank you." She said as she struggled to sit up. Tony knew better than to try to help her. He'd probably lose a hand if he did.

"Anytime." He said, leaning in and placing a soft kiss to her lips.

* * *

Ziva was discharged from the hospital the next day, and she, Tony, and Malachi were automatically summoned back to NCIS headquarters. Agents were posted outside Cammy and Ricky's rooms. Malachi and Tony were giving each other knowing looks the entire walk to Vance's office. _You're not taking her away from me. _Tony thought.

"Agent David, DiNozzo, good to see you up again." Vance commented as he offered them to sit down. "Same for you, Officer Ben-Gidon." He added. Gibbs and McGee were also in Vance's office.

"Thank you, Director Vance. Is there any word on the arrangements for Officer Sharen?" he asked. "I would like to escort his body back to Tel Aviv." Malachi requested.

"I don't see a problem with that." Vance said, looking at the faces of his agents for clarification. They all wanted Malachi out of America as soon as possible.

"With Ziva." Malachi added. He wasn't asking for permission. He was demanding that Ziva went with him.

"I don't think my presence is necessary." Ziva argued.

"Of course it is."

"Michael and I had drifted apart."

"He saved your life."

"How did he know there was a bomb?" Ziva asked. That was when Malachi realized what Ziva was thinking. Everyone realized it.

"You think that he was working with Bodnar?" Malachi asked.

"I don't know. I would like to know how he knew there was a bomb. How did he know to shield us? He seemed to know exactly where it would hit the hardest, which was where we were." Ziva said.

"That does not mean he is responsible."

"No, but I suspect him."

"He was your cousin. He was a member of your family, and you think he was responsible for the bomb that killed him and his niece?" Malachi asked. Michael was Malachi's best friend. They had known each other forever, and he wasn't about to let Ziva taint his name.

"Just because he was my cousin does not mean he is beyond suspicion." Ziva clarified.

"Why don't you just say it?" Malachi challenged.

"Say what?"

"You know what."

"I honestly do not." Malachi seemed to have forgotten the presence of everyone else within hearing distance.

"You don't trust any of us anymore, because of Mossad."

"Not because of Mossad." Ziva whispered.

"Because of Ari." Ziva automatically flinched at the mention of her half-brother's name, and Malachi smiled at this. "That hit a nerve." Malachi decided.

"I'm just saying that people we trust do not always end up being trustworthy." She defended.

"Like Ari?" Malachi asked.

"Possibly. He is only one of many examples."

"We're not all like Ari, Ziva."

"I know."

"And Michael sure wasn't?"

"I'm not so sure about that, Malachi."

"He was here to protect you, Director." Malachi's eyes widened when he realized what he had said. His action only mirrored everybody else's actions. So much for keeping it a secret from Ziva, but she was upset. Maybe she wouldn't accept the offer. '

"Director?" Ziva repeated.

"Ziva, your father is gone, and Illan Bodnar is no longer eligible for the position. There is a very large argument over who should be the acting director, but everyone remembers you. You are so much like your father." He said.

"What did you just say?" Ziva interrupted. She knew Malachi wasn't stupid enough to make the mistake of saying that Ziva was just like her father. He should have known better than to compare the two of them.

"You may not want to accept it Ziva, but there is no doubt that you are his daughter."

"I'm not the Director of Mossad, and I never will be. I'm not even eligible, Malachi. I'm an American citizen. I'm a federal agent. I'm not Mossad anymore, and I never intend to be again." Ziva stated.

"I remember you telling me that there is no such thing as an ex-marine."

"There isn't." Ziva quickly said, and this made Gibbs inwardly proud of her.

"You are right, and there is also no such thing as ex-Mossad." He told her.

"Yes, there is." She argued.

"You're an assassin, Ziva. That's all you were ever trained to be. That's all you know how to do. Seduce and kill. It's been drilled into you since your childhood. You may not like that. You have never liked it, but you did it for Tali, for Ari, for your mother, for your father. You joined the Mossad to protect them." He reminded her. She looked up from the current tile on the floor she was staring at.

"And each and every one of them are dead, Malachi."

"But they live on in you."

"No, they don't."

"Ziva, all you know how to do is kill. It's something you are very good at. You kill with a passion, and we have yet to find a seductress who can fill your shoes, so to speak. You were perfect. You were the best Mossad officer, ripping through the ranks as a teenager, pinning down every man while sparring. The only thing you were ever meant to be was Mossad. No one leaves the Mossad. It is a part of you."

"I left Mossad, and I've never regretted it." Ziva confessed.

"You don't mean that."

"Oh, I do."

"No you don't, Director."

"Stop calling me that!" she snarled.

"You are the acting director of Mossad, Director David. I like how I no longer have to be accustomed to a new name. It's the same one."

"I'm an NCIS special agent, Malachi, and right now that's all I want to be."

"You abandoned us, your family, your country, your purpose!" he exclaimed, getting out of his chair.

"You abandoned me, Malachi." Ziva told him truthfully.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice, Director David. We need you." He stressed.

"I find that hard to believe, Malachi!" she shouted, getting angrier by the second. "You have an entire agency of people working undercover, assassins, intelligence, moles in Hamas, Al Qaeda, and you need me? I left! Can't you just let me leave? Can't you let me walk out of the door for once, and not run after me?" she questioned. His silence annoyed her. "Can you?"

"I go where you go. I do what you tell me, Director." Ziva groaned.

"I actually support it, Agent David." Vance chimed in, capturing the attention of everyone in the room. _Did he really just say that? _They all thought simultaneously. "I think it would be best for Agent David to take the position, and I am actually enforcing it. It would be in the best interest for NCIS and Mossad. You would be running a foreign intelligence agency, and there would be an improvement in communication. You would give us your intel." He explained.

"And would you give me yours?" Ziva asked.

"Of course." Vance answered in a heartbeat.

"Director Vance, this is not what I want to do." Ziva said. "I would be of much better service here at NCIS, trying to locate Bodnar, not running an agency working with you, allowing other people to try and catch Bodnar." She tried to change his mind, but Vance wouldn't budge.

"Agent David, think of them as temporary orders. It will be like being reassigned to a different NCIS office. You'll be back once Bodnar is caught. You can resign then once everything is figured out and come straight back here. We'll keep your desk open. You have my word. I will not argue with you about it, Director David." Tony thought it was interesting how Ziva could come into a conversation as an agent, and come out of it as a director.

* * *

**I can't believe I already have thirteen chapters up! I'm sorry I didn't update as much as I have been, but I can't give you six chapters every day, no matter how much I want to. I would really appreciate any feedback you have, and I will try to get chapter 14 up tonight. No promises, but thank you so much for reading this story and reviewing. I love it so much.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of or relating to NCIS.**

* * *

_"Agent David, think of them as temporary orders. It will be like being reassigned to a different NCIS office. You'll be back once Bodnar is caught. You can resign then once everything is figured out and come straight back here. We'll keep your desk open. You have my word. I will not argue with you about it, Director David." Tony thought it was interesting how Ziva could come into a conversation as an agent, and come out of it as a director._

* * *

"No! No! This cannot be happening!" Abby exclaimed, clutching Ziva and a Caf-Pow!. "Vance can't take Ziva away again. Does he know how hard we've worked, Gibbs? Does he know how hard she's worked? No! No! No! I'm not letting them take Ziva!" she decided. Gibbs sighed. He knew this was going to be difficult. Tony hadn't really said anything. He hadn't even expressed any sort of shock whatsoever.

"I'm sorry, Abby." Ziva whispered. "I really don't want to go, but I have to."

"No, Ziva, you have to stay here. We can protect you here! Your family is here! We're your family. You can't just leave us!"

"I'm not planning on it, Abby. It will only be until we catch Bodnar." She tried to reason with Abby, but Abby was too worked up to get calmed down.

"What if we never catch Bodnar?" she wondered.

"We will." Ziva tried to reassure her. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"You don't know that, Ziva. We may never catch Bodnar. He could, like, fall off the face of the earth, which I know is really hard to do, but he could do it, you know?" all Ziva could do was hug her friend.

"I'll call you every day, and I'll send you letters, and I'll visit to check in once every three weeks, Abby."

"Once every three weeks?" Abby repeated. "I see you five days a week, Ziva. I can't adapt like that. I can't just not see you five days a week. Do you know what that can do to me?" Abby asked frantically.

"Abby, I told Vance that I had no intention to do anything that involved Mossad. I showed emotion, and I stood up for who I am. There is nothing I can do about these orders. I either lose my job, and then you wouldn't see me at all, or I step up as the temporary Director of Mossad." Ziva explained. "Which one would you rather it be?" she asked.

"Well, if you were fired, you would still be in DC." Abby said.

"Abby…"

"I know. I know, but now I'm gonna have to worry about you every second of the day. You're gonna be thousands of miles away and in danger, and I don't trust Mossad to protect you." Abby told her.

"Neither do I." Ziva confessed.

"Then why are you letting them?" Abby wondered.

"Who said I was?"

"But seriously, what about us? Your family? Do we really have to settle for seeing you once every three weeks?" Abby asked again, causing Ziva to fight back tears. She left Mossad for a reason, and it was a good one. She had no desire to lead the same people who had abandoned her. She no longer trusted any of them, but somehow they trusted her to lead them. She didn't understand that at all.

"You can see me in MTAC." Ziva reminded her.

"That's not good enough, Ziva, and you know it!" she exclaimed. Ziva sighed.

"I know."

"What about me, and Gibbs, and Ducky, and Palmer, and McGee, and Tony? Don't tell me we're going to have to get a temporary agent assigned to Team Gibbs."

"Vance said they weren't going to replace me. He promised me that they wouldn't do that. He said they would keep my desk open." Ziva told her, more for comforting herself than her friend.

"Good." Abby simply said before enveloping one of her closest friends in another hug. "When do you leave?" she asked.

"You seem a little eager to get rid of me now."

"Seriously, Ziva."

"I have to go with Malachi because the director must have a protection detail at all times. Malachi is escorting Michael's body back to Tel Aviv tomorrow night, and I have to go with him." Ziva explained.

"Tomorrow night? You're leaving tomorrow night?" Abby asked, her lip quivering.

"I'll be back before you know it, Abby." Ziva said before Gibbs called her back to the office. She figured it was time for her to go, and she began her journey back to the squad room, not wanting to leave the people currently in it.

"Sure you will." Abby whispered to herself before turning her music back up and taking her final sip of her caffeinated drink.

* * *

"So we have to continue protecting a fourteen-year-old and a four-year-old, but we're not allowed to protect our agent?" Tony asked, a little more than annoyed. His instinct was right. Ziva refused the offer, but it didn't matter. She didn't have a choice, and he was forced to watch her pack some of the items she might need out of her desk. She did it slowly, like she was purposefully trying to torture him. If she was, it was working.

_Why do you have to go? _He thought. _You belong here with us, with me. I finally get the guts to kind of show her how I feel, and she gets transferred. All of a sudden, she's a director. She's our superior. She's leaving us, and I'm really going to miss her._

"You're not leaving until tomorrow night." Tony reminded her. "Why are your packing up now?" he wondered.

"I just want to make sure I have what I need. I'm not taking everything. Vance promised he would keep my desk open, and I'm keeping more personal items in my desk." She informed him. He nodded, but he still wasn't happy.

"Ziva, do me a favor." He said to her, and she looked up at him expectantly.

"Yes, Tony?" she wondered what this favor could possibly be. McGee was in the squad room with them, but he was still dwelling in the shock that Ziva was being forced to leave.

"Look after yourself. I will be from here, worrying about you all the time. Check in once and a while, so I don't have to worry all the time. Watch your back, cause I don't trust Malachi to watch it for you." He instructed. She smiled. Was this his goodbye? She didn't want to say goodbye to him yet. She still had one more day.

"Will do, Tony." She said. "I promise. I'll be fine." And there was that f-word again.

* * *

The next day was spent packing suitcases and saying goodbyes. She had said goodbye to Gibbs, Abby, McGee, Ducky, Palmer, but the one person she needed to see was on assignment. _Assignment. _She hated that word. That was why it had ass in it. She had tasked Malachi with carrying her bags as she took one last look and gave one last hug to the people in front of her. She smiled a little.

"You don't look very happy." She noticed.

"We won't be until you come back here okay, and Bodnar is out of the picture." McGee said.

"Timothy is right, My Dear. I'm sure this will be the source of sleepless nights. Unfortunately, we cannot keep records of you every second of the day." Ducky added. Ziva smiled, and gave them each one more hug.

When she hugged Gibbs, he held her a little longer than the others had, excluding Abby of course. He kissed her temple before leaning forward and whispering in her ear, "He really wanted to be here." Which was enough to make her truly smile.

"Thank you." She whispered back just as softly. The rest of the team could see that words were being said, but they had no idea what the words were, and they figured that just this once, they wouldn't say anything about it.

Ziva sighed and motioned for Malachi to follow her to the elevator. She felt like she had to lug him around everywhere. She had only been Director David for a day, and she already wanted to resign. It just wasn't for her.

The elevator arrived, and she and Malachi stepped in, Malachi first because Ziva had to look back at her family one more time. Even though Tony wanted to be here, he wasn't, and Ziva needed him at that moment.

Her thoughts were interrupted as they reached the ground floor, and she stepped out seeing the person she had wanted to see the most the entire time. For a second, they just stood there, staring at each other, but Ziva ran into his arms, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I broke so many laws getting back here. I had to see you off." He said.

"You shouldn't break any laws for me."

"I think I'd do just about anything for you." He said sincerely. "I really don't want you to go." He confessed.

"I don't want to go."

"Then don't." He joked, and for a second, she laughed. For a second. Then, she leaned in and gave him another sweet kiss, which he almost instantly responded to. When they pulled back after remembering where they were and that Malachi was only a few feet away, they looked into each other's eyes.

"That isn't a goodbye kiss." She promised. "That's an 'I will be back to finish that' kiss, and when I do come back, maybe then you can take me on a real date." She suggested.

"Anything you want." He said, smiling.

"Goodbye, Tony."

"Goodbye, Ziva."

* * *

**Chapter 14 is here for you. What did you think? I rewrote this a couple of times. I had to make sure I knew what I wanted to express, so Ziva's going away. She's the Director of Mossad now, so we get to see her in charge, which I'm really excited to write about. Well, I kind of have to go to bed now, and I haven't even started my science homework, so... Please review. By now, you know how much I love getting reviews. **


	15. Chapter 15

**I am so sorry I haven't updated. I just got out of the emergency room. They had to do this surgery on my back, which isn't very common with fourteen-year-olds, so I'm out now, and will be updating better. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of or relating to NCIS or any of its characters and past story lines.**

* * *

Ziva arrived in Tel Aviv the following afternoon. Well, it was nigh time there. Malachi hadn't spoken to her the entire flight, almost as if he was still in shock from witnessing the kiss shared between the two.

"You will be staying in your father's old house." He finally told her.

"And you?"

"I am part of your protection detail. I will also be enlisting the help of four other officers." He said.

"Would I trust them all?"

"I certainly hope so. Also, you will be sworn in tomorrow. Expect a fancy dinner to follow, and a lot of men will want to dance with you." Ziva groaned.

"Will I be allowed to say no?"

"You are the director. We do anything and everything you require." Malachi said robotically as he carried her luggage through the door, entering her empty childhood home. Whatever she did, she did not want to go upstairs. Tali's room was upstairs, and across from it stood Ari's room untouched. Ziva and Eli never felt like cleaning anything out.

"Would you like me to take your things to your old room?" Malachi asked her. Ziva shook her head.

"The couch down here will be fine." She told him. Malachi smiled. He knew it would be hard for Ziva to stay in the house. Ziva walked over to a large window in the kitchen. She could see the open valley in the backyard. She took a deep breath as she remembered that her mother used to stand in that exact spot and watch her children play there until the sun set. Maybe coming to her childhood home wasn't the wisest decision.

Ziva had every room in the house memorized. She would smile as she walked past certain things, dwelling on the memories, but then she came across a whole in the wall. She shuddered as she thought of when her father pushed her against that wall because she had said no.

She walked into her father's study and sat in his chair. She remembered hiding under that desk when her mother and father would fight. It had been a place of comfort for her. She slowly slid her hand across the wooden desk and coming across a picture of her framed on it. She carefully picked it up and examined it, as if she was afraid to break it.

It was the picture of her and Tali on Ziva's fourteenth birthday. Ziva was wearing a white summer dress, which looked beautiful against her olive skin. Ari was the one who had taken the picture. She remembered when the picture was taken, but never knew any copies were made. She decided since there was no one to look at it in that house anymore, she wanted it. Ziva carefully removed the frame, and she found something that puzzled her.

It was a piece of paper folded into four quadrants. Ziva took note that it looked old. Only one word was written on it.

בהירות- Hebrew for 'brightness'

She was really starting to hate that word. It made her wonder what that word was doing on a piece of paper hidden in a picture frame. She thought about calling for Malachi, but decided against it. She wanted to look around the room some more. She tried to open her father's desk, but there was a number combination. It was a four-digit combination which meant a year. She tried to think of a year that would be significant to her father.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Ziva's curiosity got the better of her. There were a couple more picture frames on her father's desk. She opened one, a picture of Eli and her mother on their wedding day. As she suspected, there was another piece of paper. This one said אריה which means 'lion'. That was what Ari's name translated to. When she opened the third picture frame, she figured the slip of paper would say what Tali's name translated to, but it didn't. It said 1982, the year she was born.

Almost immediately, Ziva entered the four digits into the lock, and those four numbers opened the drawer to her father's desk. Inside, she found a handful of letters. Each of them were addressed to, 'My Child', the exact engraving on her necklace which she was clutching with her hand.

"Ziva!" she heard Malachi exclaim. She groaned and quickly slipped the letters into her jacket pocket. She quietly shut her father's desk and hid the slips of paper in her other pocket. She decided it would be her secret for now. It was "need to know", and she was the only one who needed.

"In the study!" Ziva called back. Malachi appeared in the study with a gun in his hand.

"You can't just go into any room, Ziva." He said.

"It is my father's house, Malachi." She reminded him.

"Yours." He corrected. Ziva furrowed her brows. "Former Director David left it to you in his will. You inherited everything Director." Malachi informed her. He seemed a little uncomfortable mentioning it, but Ziva didn't think too much of it. He was most likely a little annoyed that her father didn't leave him anything.

Ziva shut the door behind Malachi. She took out the first letter. It was the oldest one, yellowed a bit with age. The ink was smudged, and it was written in English, which surprised her a bit. Eli had wanted all of the children to speak English at an early age because it was the most popular. She opened it with caution and realized it was the letter written the day she was born.

My Child,

I was not quite expecting you to be a baby girl, but I am pleased nonetheless. I am your father, and I am still getting used to the idea. I doubt that I will ever give you this letter because of all the thoughts going through my mind at this time. You are only a few hours old, and I am already thinking of the person you will be.

First, you must know the person I am. I have a lot of secrets, My Child, and a lot of enemies. These enemies have caused me to keep secrets, one of which will have to be you.

I begged your mother to name you when you were born. I must tell you that your name has a meaning. It is not a sentimental meaning. It is not a name that has been passed down for several generations, but your name has a meaning. There is a reason I named you this.

You also have a brother that will be with me soon. He is not like you. He does not carry my name, which means that you are my first-born child. Your brother's name also has a meaning. The two of you have a purpose, and I sincerely hope you do not disregard what that purpose is.

As a father, I know I will make mistakes, but your name will clear them in the event that anything will happen to me. Your name will keep it going. I started this when the lion was born, but it is time for an era of brightness to lead us out of these dark times of death and destruction. I will groom you to properly do that.

Love,

The Father of My Child

Ziva was in tears by the end of the letter. She didn't fully understand it, though. She read the last paragraph over and over again. _I started this when the lion was born. _That represented Ari's birth, but what did he start when Ari was born? _It is time for an era of brightness to lead us out of these dark times of death and destruction. _She was the brightness, and the death and destruction signified the events in Israel with all the wars and Hamas and Al Qaeda. _I will groom you to properly do that. _That must have meant all the intense training Eli put her through. He was giving her clues, but to what?

Ziva carefully kept the rest of the letters hidden as she left the study. She found Malachi closing all the blinds in the living room.

"Malachi?" she asked. He turned towards her. "On second thought, my room will be just fine." Ziva told him. Malachi didn't argue, but he ordered another officer to take Ziva's bags up. Malachi gave her a knowing look, which bothered Ziva. She thanked the officer who took the things up to her room.

She sat on her old bed and looked at the remaining letters. She decided to open them in order. The next one was dated to when she was nine years old. She figured it must have been right after she was abducted. She read it.

My Child,

This was never supposed to happen. You are not someone else's to take, and I will not allow anyone to take you like this, after everything I planned for you, after everything I created for you. The lion will die without brightness. You were on the path to exceed even the greatest height. The snare does not understand your significance. You are not just a child.

You are not just anyone. I do not mean to belittle the other dewdrops of God, but you are special, and I will do everything I can to find you because the snare is now gone, but there will be many more traps.

Love,

The Father of My Child

Ziva didn't know what in that letter was a code or not, but she finally decided after reading four more letters that her father knew things he shouldn't have. He left a lot of secrets behind, and he had expected "the brightness to bring them into the light". Eli wanted her to find out what they were, and she knew she couldn't do it alone. Laying back in her bed, she pulled out her phone.

"Gibbs." He answered.

"Shalom."

"Director David." He greeted.

"Please don't remind me." She said, and he smiled from his current spot in the bullpen. Tony and McGee had looked at their boss upon hearing Director David.

"What's up, Ziver?" he asked.

"Do you think Director Vance would be willing to allow me one favor in order to improve communications between agencies and countries?" she asked innocently. Gibbs put his pen down. What was it she wanted?

"Depends on the favor." Gibbs told her. Ziva took a deep breath.

"I need you here in Tel Aviv." She said. "Now." Ziva added.

* * *

**What do you think about this chapter? I loved writing it so much. What do you think about the letters and secrets and codes? I'm really excited because there is going to be more, and I will add tiva because they're coming to Israel! Please review. I LOVE REVIEWS, and reading them will make me feel better after being in the emergency room because needles are not fun. Thank you so much, guys!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of or relating to NCIS, its characters, or past story lines**.

* * *

"_Do you think Director Vance would be willing to allow me one favor in order to improve communications between agencies and countries?" she asked innocently. Gibbs put his pen down. What was it she wanted?_

"_Depends on the favor." Gibbs told her. Ziva took a deep breath. _

"_I need you here in Tel Aviv." She said. "Now." Ziva added. _

* * *

"Officer Ben-Gidon." Ziva called from her bedroom after tucking the rest of the letters out of sight. Malachi quickly ran up the stairs, a little intrigued that he would get to be in her bedroom, specifically with her in it.

"Yes, Director?" he asked as he barged through the door.  
"I have requested for Agents Gibbs, DiNozzo, and McGee to join us." She enlightened him. Malachi's face instantaneously fell. He really didn't like those people.

"May I ask why?"

"Former Director David was not the only one murdered at that dinner. Director Vance's wife, Jackie, was killed in the crossfire, making it an NCIS-Mossad joint case, and I would like them here while we take the lead. They are very capable investigators." She explained.

"Be careful, or people might think you like them." He warned her.

"Well, I do, Officer Ben-Gidon."

"It's Malachi, Ziva. It's been Malachi since we were children playing in this house together."

"We are not children anymore. I've enlisted their help, and they will be on the next flight. I wish for them to stay in this house. My father had a lot of money, and this house reflects it. There is more than enough room." She told him.

"Whatever you want, Director David." The name rolled uneasily off of Malachi's tongue because even though he was used to saying the name, Malachi had been wrong. He had confessed to himself that Ziva David was most certainly not her father. No one could replace their fallen leader.

* * *

Ziva waited on the tarmac, surrounded by Mossad officers, of course. They had told her that it wasn't very traditional for a director to wait for guests at the airport, but no one could change her mind about waiting there.

The plane flew in, and Ziva had already started smiling. She had already been feeling pressured because of the new job, and she had mixed emotions about the letters. She knew that the Mossad officers could not offer her the same emotional support, not even the ones she had known since her childhood, like her family at NCIS could.

She saw four men step onto the Israeli soil. She was a little surprised to see Director Vance with them, but she did not allow herself to be intimidated, not that Vance could ever intimidate her. They were banded to each other by recent traumatic events, and their recent understanding of each other reminded Ziva of when Vance had adored her as a child. She knew she was supposed to address them formally in the presence of others, and they knew it, too.

"Director Vance." She greeted first. He greeted her by kissing both of her cheeks, which was normally how women whom men had met before were greeted.

"Director David."

"Agent Gibbs." Gibbs followed the pattern, but he wasn't very thrilled about it. He appreciated that Ziva wasn't the kind of person who would pull rank. It humbled him a bit to know that Ziva had gone to him for help. It was out of character for her because usually, she would try to do things on her own.

"Director David." Tony had noticed that Ziva cringed a bit upon hearing it from Gibbs's tongue. That made him smile. He knew this wouldn't change her. She was still NCIS Special Agent Ziva David.

"Agent DiNozzo." She said with a smile. He kissed both her cheeks a little more intimately than the previous two men had. Gibbs noticed. He had noticed more interaction between the two, but he had pushed it aside until necessary.

"Director David." He said seriously, which made the two of them grin.

"Agent McGee." McGee loved having Ziva around. She was basically his little sister. She was the only one who could really tease Ziva. She was like a double agent. She teased whoever she felt like. She would either team up with Tony against McGee, or with McGee against Tony. She could sometimes even be against Tony and McGee at once, but at least Tony and McGee were smart enough not to tease her back most of the time.

"Director David." He said happily. Ziva led them to her car, which was to be driven by Malachi. In the front seat was Officer Judah Agassi. Ziva had forgotten to mention that he was her other surviving cousin.

* * *

Ziva led the four men into her father's study. Malachi and Judah had tried to come in with her, but Ziva stopped them at the door.

"We are Mossad. Why aren't we to be included?" Judah asked.

"I am just briefing them. It is something I can do by myself. I know them personally." Ziva told them.

"I bet you do." Judah said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ziva snarled.

"You're a pretty woman, and they aren't very bad looking. I'm sure you've slept with the two younger agents, at least." Judah said to her. Ziva almost slapped him, but decided against it. She knew that Director Vance had recognized Judah in the car, and he thankfully didn't say anything about it.

"I will have you know that that's not the case, and you should remember who you are and who I am." Ziva told him.

"You're my cousin who's only sitting in that chair because of who your father was." He told her. Malachi scolded Judah for this. He pulled Judah aside, even though he was a little upset to be excluded. He knew it was just a briefing.

"So, Director David, why are we here?" Vance asked her, taking a seat at a bench beside the bookshelf. Ziva removed the letters from her coat pocket and spread them out on the desk.

"My name is really starting to scare me." She told them.

"Your name?" McGee asked. Ziva nodded. There are eleven letters right there. They are all telling me that my name has a meaning, and I am meant to uncover secrets after my father's death. He is telling me that he left important information behind, and that information made him a lot of enemies. He said he had to trust this information with his first-born."

"I thought Ari was older than you." Tony said.

"Oh, he is, but my father said that since Ari was conceived out of wedlock, and he carried the name Haswari, not David, so it makes me the first child to carry his name. He wrote the first letter the day I was born, telling me he was not expecting a daughter."

"Anything else?" Gibbs wondered.

"These letters are full of codes and other ciphers. They're all leading me to something, but I don't know what. That's where I need your help. I've identified a few of the codes." She told them. By then, they had each picked up a letter and began reading.

"Well, brightness must mean you." Vance said.

"What's the lion?" Tony asked.

"That's Ari. His name translates to lion."

"What about snare?" McGee wondered.

"I don't know."

"Well, then, I guess we should start there."

"He keeps saying your name has a meaning, Ziver. What is it?" Gibbs asked. "Eli said it in about four letters already." He noticed.

"I'm not sure. He also said that the brightness will bring the secrets into the light." She remembered.

"So, he wants you to discover the secrets?" Vance asked.

"Yes." Ziva told them. The five of them read all of the letters, taking separate notes on what might be a code or something of importance. It made Ziva a little uncomfortable that they were reading about certain events, however they had not specifically asked about her abduction.

"Does Officer Ben-Gidon know about this?" Gibbs finally questioned. They all looked at Ziva expectantly. They had each assumed that Malachi knew, but they could have been wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. Ziva shook her head.

"Why not?" Tony asked her.

"You four are the only ones above suspicion. I don't trust anyone else with this newly discovered information."

* * *

**I can't believe I wrote sixteen chapters. I am so amazed that people have been reading it. Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck with me up to this point. It really makes me feel good, and I am hoping for some more reviews. If I can get around two to five more reviews by the end of the day, I will be a very happy camper. Hopefully, I'll have chapter 17 up within the next two hours. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of or relating to NCIS, its characters, or its past story lines.**_  
_

* * *

_"You four are the only ones above suspicion. I don't trust anyone else with this newly discovered information."_

"Are you checking for inconsistencies for everyone in Mossad?" McGee asked her.

"I'm trying to, but there are a lot of people, McGee. That's where I would also like help from you and, even Abby back home." Ziva requested.

"Back home, huh?" Gibbs asked her. She nodded.

"Do you suspect Malachi?" Tony asked her. Ziva sighed.

"I know Bodnar is not working alone, and there were some people in Mossad eager to have a younger director. Some people thought that my father's methods were too conservative, and they would prefer merciless torture, and even more deep covers and high-profile assassinations across the world. I just need to separate them from the others and figure out who are keeping tabs on Bodnar and helping him do the dirty work." Ziva explained.

"Do you think he is still in America?" Gibbs wondered.

"I don't know. He could have swum from Florida to Cuba and hidden in cargo on a plane or ship to Israel. All I know is that if officers in Mossad are helping him, he has better chances of being undetected. Mossad is known for making people disappear and reappear to kill." She told them. Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.

* * *

The seven of them ate dinner together at the table. Ziva had made fish and potatoes. Tony could feel Malachi's eyes on him. Tony was seated next to Ziva, and her hand had found his leg under the table.

The rest of the NCIS outsiders could feel Judah's eyes on them. Judah was much different from Michael. He, too, shared that history with Ziva, but Judah was more aggressive about it.

Everyone could tell he was a Mossad officer by choice. Judah seemed like he was more of a fighter than a lover. Michael had wanted peace. Judah wanted war, and he wanted his cousin back because like Malachi and Michael, he missed the wild woman who fought and loved with passion. He missed the woman that Ziva once was, and he was having trouble keeping his emotions inside.

Gibbs could sense this, and he sighed to himself. Gibbs knew that this meant more drama, more tension, more tears, more fights, and less work.

* * *

Malachi and Judah were accompanied by six other officers at night. They all stayed outside of the house, two on each side.

This gave the NCIS team time to update each other at night, which meant less sleep, not that they complained. It wasn't like they could forget that Ziva's life was still in danger. Ziva had finally been able to read the letters without being brought to tears. They were still examining them. Ziva picked one of the final ones back up.

My Child,

This has been coming since before the lion roared and the brightness shone. Everything has been accumulating ever since the height started growing. The lion tells the angel what songs to sing, and even then, flaws in the height come forth.

I know how much the brightness doesn't want to be bright. It hurts me to hurt you, my child, but I have to. I made the lion who he is. Can a lion be the king of the jungle if he is weak and frightened? Absolutely not. The same goes for brightness. Brightness and brilliance and radiance will scare people, and do not be afraid of that. Rejoice.

Rejoice when you hear my name. Rejoice when the brightness shines on the secrets. If you think you have the meaning of your name figured out by now, you are wrong. If you want to give this up, you are wrong again. This is something you were born into, and you did not choose. It is similar to how I did not choose to drink the dewdrops of God because Mother Nature did not think I should. That is why the dewdrops are not as important as the lion and the brightness.

Lions can be broken. They can be killed, and the lion was. He was not a good lion. He decided he did not want to be trained. He did not accept what was chosen for him. He thought he could choose which food to eat, and he can't. Neither can the brightness. The brightness cannot decide what it will shine on, and what it will not. Brightness cannot be destroyed, only temporarily darkened. Remember that. That is why you are the worthy one. You have left, and I know you have left because of me, but I assure you that you will come back because of me.

Love,

The Father of My Child

It confused Ziva a little bit to read the letters that had the most codes. Some letters were easy to understand. This letter was dated to a month after NCIS had rescued her from Somalia. By then, Ziva had resigned from Mossad, and Malachi had just returned without Ziva. Her thoughts were interrupted by McGee.

"I think I have something about the secrets, Boss." McGee said. They all stopped what they were doing. They didn't expect anything about secrets. The other four were only expecting possible officers who could be working with Bodnar.

"What do you got, McGee?" Gibbs asked, and everything almost felt normal again. Almost. If everything was normal again, they wouldn't be in Ziva's childhood bedroom.

"In one of the letters it says that this has been coming since before the lion roared and the brightness shone, so Eli David must have obtained the secrets from before Ziva and Ari were even born. Then, it goes on to say that this has been accumulating since the height started growing. I did some research and translated the names of the rest of Ziva's family. Eli means height, so I figured this meant he started getting the secrets when he started in Mossad." He paused to let in sink in.

"That it, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"No. Eli joined Mossad in 1966 when he was 17. I checked out what was going on in 1966, and I found an old file. In '66, there was a group of ten people running Mossad. It wasn't just a director, but these ten people were overthrown because other officers thought they were keeping information, which they finally admitted to, but they said that the information was stolen from them, and they never made any copies."

"What kind of information, McGee?" Ziva asked.

"There was allegedly all the information about Soviet Union spies, communism, secrets about the Cuban Missile Crisis, terrorist groups, the war between Pakistan and Israel, Afghanistan and Israel. The book that everything was kept in was also said to have information about future attacks including Al Qaeda and Hamas, and countries against the US and Israel thinking about coming together and fighting World War III, but that's not the point." McGee continued.

"Sounds pretty big to me." Vance said.

"It is, but it was just a big conspiracy because they never found the book." McGee said.

"Well, what makes you think it's not a conspiracy?" Tony asked.

"The book supposedly went missing in 1966, the year Eli started in Mossad. Before the ten board members claimed that the book was stolen, there was an operation held to expose them for hiding sensitive information from the agency. The operation was called Operation BRIGHTNESS because of the board members. There were ten of them, and each one's last name stood for one of the letters."

"You think Eli stole and hid these secrets for Ziva to find?"

"I'm also saying that was what got him killed. The attempt at making peace with Kazmi was just a cover."

* * *

**If you're confused, don't worry. All will be explained in no time, and I promise that there will be more tiva in the upcoming chapters. My goal is to get Chapter 18 up tonight, but if I do not succeed, please don't hate me. I love all reviews, and I would really appreciate a couple. **


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of or relating to NCIS, its characters, or its past story lines. **

* * *

_"I'm also saying that was what got him killed. The attempt at making peace with Kazmi was just a cover."_

"Elaborate, McGee." Vance demanded.

"These secrets are still very valuable today. There was speculation about whether or not the book even existed. I'm saying that Bodnar probably found out about the secrets Eli was keeping, and he's trying to torture Ziva for information since she is the key. This letter right here says that, 'My Child is the key.'" They all looked at Ziva. A possible war was being planned, and she allegedly had all the secrets from warring countries about it?

"It sounds pretty far-thrown."

"Fetched." Tony automatically corrected. When he received incredulous stares from around the room, he sincerely apologized. "Sorry."

"You're saying that these codes and anything else my father told me growing up are clues?" Ziva asked.

"Pretty much, Ziva. I mean, it's a loose theory, but it still involves the letters. All of these codes. They were all written by Eli over time. There's no way they were stashed in his desk to throw us off and fill our heads with fake stories."

"That's why Bodnar's trying to kill me?"

"He can't kill you. You're valuable, Ziva. He needs you to figure out the secrets. He needs you to find where Eli hid them because he knows that you're the only one who can find them."

"So my wife was murdered for a treasure hunt?" Vance asked, trying to keep his composure. It wasn't working very well. His wife was shot to death because of something that may or may not exist. If it did exist, they had to find it before it fell into the wrong hands.

* * *

Ziva showed everyone to their rooms. Gibbs was in Eli's old room. McGee had been placed in the old guest room with Gibbs at the end of the hall. Vance was in Ari's old room, located on the other side of the house. Tony was in Tali's old room right next door to Ziva's.

Tony walked into Tali's room, and he realized that no one ever touched any of her things. They were still kept the same all the way until the day Ziva had died. The first thing that caught Tony's eye was the framed picture on Tali's dresser beside her bed. It was of Tali and Ziva when Ziva had turned sixteen. He noticed that the picture was not dusty, which meant that Tali's room was cleaned for her, as if she was going to walk through her door and crash in her bed at any moment. After so much denial and sorrow and guilt and mourning, Ziva finally accepted that no one would ever walk through those doors again.

* * *

Ziva was in her bed around midnight. She had heard her coworkers around and exploring the house, admiring the pictures everywhere around the house. She smiled when she would hear how much she and Tali didn't look alike, or how her eyes were still as beautiful and youthful as they were when she was seven.

Ziva stayed wrapped in her blankets with a book in her hand. It was a book she had found on her old bookshelf. It was when she was learning to speak French. She had read the original work of Les Miserables, and sighed as she got to the part where Fantine sold her hair. Fantine did anything to save her daughter, Cosette, and Ziva had to do everything to make sure the people she loved, her "Cosettes", weren't endangered. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knocking on the door. She figured Tony had accidentally hit the wall, but it continued, and she left her room to go into his.

When Tony opened the door for her, she was so surprised by what she saw. There were candles all over the room, some of them were lit, and some of them were not. There was a bottle of red wine and two plates of chocolate cake on a blanket in the middle of the floor.

"Tony, what is this?" Ziva asked, no longer hiding the smile on her face.

"This, Miss David," Tony began as he lit the final candle and motioned for her to sit on the floor with him, beginning to pour her a glass of wine, "is our first date." He told her. Ziva liked it when Tony showed her the very romantic, sweet side of him. She had sincerely appreciated it when he made her the CD of the opera, but she was not expecting this at all. He sure knew out to make her feel better.

Tony finished pouring Ziva a glass and poured one for himself. He raised a glass, but he didn't know what to toast to. Everything that had been happening had been pretty crappy, but Ziva kissing him made him forget about everything. He decided what he wanted to say. "To change, good and bad. We might not want it, but it has to happen sometime, and you being here on a date with me is a great change." He said. Ziva smiled at his words. She couldn't have said it better.

"To change." She repeated, and the two of them clinked their glasses together. They decided that it was about them right now. Nothing outside of that closed door existed. Time could freeze long enough to have a date, which everyone had been waiting for. "So, is this what you do with all your dates? Romantic, heart-felt toasts and candle lit rooms at midnight with a bottle of red wine and the most delicious chocolate cake?"

"Yup, and they fall for it every time." He joked.

"I'll keep it in mind not to fall for it."

"Too late. I know you're already falling for it. Once I start to play guitar, you'll be putty in my hands." He laughed, and she laughed with him. She had no idea how he could make her feel better about everything that was going. She tried not to question it too much.

"You play guitar?"

"The ladies love it." He stated.

"How many are you trying to impress, Tony?" she wondered.

"Only one."

"Have I met her?"

"Trust me, Ziva, you'll melt when I prove to you I can play guitar."

"Well, you've never heard me sing in a club, wearing a dark blue, backless dress singing about temptation." Ziva challenged. No amount of wine in the world could have prevented Tony's mouth from going dry.

"You wouldn't happen to have pictures, would you?"

"Not a single one." He groaned. After Ziva finished her cake, she scooted closer to Tony on the blanket.

"So, what exactly are we?" Tony asked her. She looked up at him, her eyes glowing in the light. Even if it wasn't a moonlit picnic like he had wanted, under the certain circumstances, he would make anything work.

"What do you want us to be?" Ziva asked him seductively.

"What do you want us to be?" he returned.

"I asked you first." She told him, and Tony smiled.

"Well, I don't know. I know I wanna be with you, Ziva, but I'm willing to wait. I know this isn't the first priority right now with everything that's going on, and I don't want to stress you out even further. I don't want to mess this up. I'm still trying to figure out the feelings I have for you." He said seriously. Ziva was so happy that he would wait for her until everything with Bodnar settled down, but she wasn't exactly sure she wanted to wait. She needed Tony to help her get through all of this.

"Well, how do you feel about me?" she asked. He decided that with all the seriousness, he needed to add a joke to their date. That's what made Tony DiNozzo the Tony DiNozzo.

"I kinda like you." He said jokingly, and they both laughed. Ziva rested her head against Tony's chest, and his arm was wrapped around her shoulders bringing her closer to him. On a regular date, he'd try to get the woman's clothes off, but he didn't want to go too fast with Ziva. He didn't want to take advantage of her, so they sat like that, and he savored the moment. He wanted to hold her like that, protect her from Bodnar, and keep her head on his chest forever. All they did was sit like that, comfortable with each other.

"Tony," she finally said, breaking the silence. He knew she would have to go back to her room eventually. "I kinda like you, too." She said as she got up to go back to her room. Tony dropped his arm, but she turned around and kissed him sweetly. He loved the taste of her lips on his, and he began to work his hand through her neck. When she pulled back, she loved how she could give him an extra sparkle in his eyes.

"So, what are we?" Tony asked again as she stood up.

"I'm not sure."

"What do you want to be?" Tony asked.

"I would like to be your girlfriend." Ziva whispered.

"Well, Ziva, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked, and her reply was barely audible as he kissed her again before watching her return to her bedroom with a smile on her face.

* * *

**Tony and Ziva are now officially together. I had to give them their cute, little TIVA moment before they had to work and be scared for Ziva and decode letters again. I'm sorry if you found it cheesy. Don't worry. There will be more action, more drama, more kisses, more killers, and hopefully I'll get more reviews. Please tell me what you think about Chapter 18 as I work on Chapter 19 when I should be working on my social studies essay. Please review. Thanks for reading. **


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of or relating to NCIS, its characters, or its past plot and/or story lines. **

"Well, Ziva, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked, and her reply was barely audible as he kissed her again before watching her return to her bedroom with a smile on her face.

Tony woke up the next morning and turned to see that the candles were still burning, which surprised him. They were his only sign that last night had actually happened. It was real. Ziva was his girlfriend officially. She kinda liked him, too, but right now he had to put that aside a little bit, and he had to step up and make sure his girlfriend lived to be in his arms when they got home.

Tony was the last one down for breakfast. Malachi noticed his tardiness. He was not impressed. Judah was still studying the people Ziva had sacrificed everything for. He didn't understand it. He couldn't find anything special about them, yet Ziva had given everything for them. She started over, and they welcomed her. Why had they?

"So, pancakes for breakfast?" Tony smelled. Ziva was cooking, and her NCIS family continuously offered to help, but she refused. In Israel, she was used to cooking and cleaning. On top of being better than all the men in Mossad, she also had to cook and clean and dress better than all the women growing up. It was expected of her.

"In honor of Cammy and Ricky. They are recovering well from their injuries, but are still grieving. They wish they could be here with me, and I wish they could, too, so I decided to do this." Ziva explained. She served the breakfast.

"We think we have satellite feed on Bodnar." Malachi announced once they had started eating. After that, all that could be heard were forks dropping.

"Where?" Ziva desperately demanded.

"Calm down, Bab y Girl." Judah said as he grabbed her arm. The rest of the group noticed how Ziva flinched when Judah touched her. Everyone was curious except for Malachi and Vance. They knew why.

"Where?" Ziva asked again after her arm had been released from Judah's grip.

"Somewhere in Berlin, but we're not even sure it's him." McGee seemed to freeze when they mentioned about Berlin. McGee knew something. Something they telepathically agreed would be discussed later that night.

"What are the chances that it is him?" Vance asked.

"The satellite feed and facial recognition read 63%, which is only enough for us to send some people in undercover to survey the area." Malachi replied.

"That won't be good. They will all be detected. Anyone with a background in Mossad could send Bodnar running, and we don't even know which ones are loyal to me, and which are loyal to Bodnar." Ziva explained. "I will not allow an undercover mission." She decided.

"Bu Ziva…" Judah begged.

"No, Officer Agassi." She said firmly, and this caused Vance to smile. He knew how hard of a time Ziva got from Judah growing up. It must have felt good for her to put him in his place. He took orders from her now.

"Do you trust your officers, Director David?" Malachi asked her.

"I do not know all of them very well, and I will not be here long enough to have the pleasure to familiarize myself with them. That being said, it is hard for me to determine who will honor my trust and who will betray it. I've always had problems with that." She reminded them, as if they needed the reminder. Examples of that went through all of their heads at that moment.

_Eli._

_Ari._

_Rivkin. _

_Ray. _

"Well, I assure you, Ziva, the officers we associate ourselves with are impeccable, especially the ones we have known since our childhood. None of them are disloyal." Judah argued.

"Like Ari?" Ziva whispered.

"What was that?"

"I said, Like Ari?" she repeated.

"Where is this coming from, Ziva? Don't think that you can just come back in here after abandoning us…"

"Hey!" Malachi cut in. He was the only one who could really calm Judah down. "She didn't abandon us. We abandoned her." He corrected.

"She turned her back on us!" Judah exclaimed. He threw his chair back. This was nothing new for Malachi and Ziva. Even Vance had witnessed a few of his episodes. Judah had very serious anger issues, which only added to his efficiency as an officer in Mossad and the bruises that somehow crept onto Ziva's skin every time the two of them were reunited.

"Can you blame here?" Malachi asked back.

"We loved her! We gave her everything, and she just threw it in the trash like it was garbage! We were the only people who ever cared about her!" he shouted.

"Not anymore." Malachi stated. "If you love her, can you see that she is content where she is, with the people she is with? I don't know what they have given her, but she seems pretty pleased about it, Judah." He continued.

"She's an assassin, Malachi!" Judah turned towards Ziva. "You're an assassin. That's all you'll ever be! You're a ruthless, slutty assassin who killed your brother!" Ziva froze at his words. Normally, she would brush off a comment like that, but she wasn't normally the director of Mossad, discovering that her recently murdered father left a series of secrets for her to find. That hit her right where it hurt. Before anyone knew it, Judah lunged towards Ziva and punched her face, only to be restricted by Malachi and Tony.

"Hey! Hey!" McGee and Vance called towards Judah as Gibbs inspected Ziva's bloody nose and soon-to-be blackened eye. Judging by Ziva's surprise, or lack of, Gibbs figured this was not the first time Judah had beat her around before.

"You're a ruthless, slutty assassin who killed your brother! He loved you! He loved you more than anything, and you killed him! You killed my best friend!" he repeated as Malachi handcuffed him to the staircase. There was no getting through to Judah when he was like this. He tried to get all his anger out whenever he could, normally on Ziva's body. He thought she deserved it after abandoning them the way she did.

Tony and McGee weren't quite sure what to think of what Judah was shouting. They were absolutely sure that Gibbs had killed Ari. They had read the case report, and Ari's body had been found in Gibbs' basement after he broke in. Ziva hadn't even been there. There was no way that Ziva killed her brother. Right?

Against Ziva's protests, Gibbs finally had Ziva get some ice on her eye. He checked her nose. Her nose wasn't broken, but bruised. Judah's ring had left an indentation on her cheek, which drew a bit of blood. They began wondering if this was what a normal breakfast was when Ziva was growing up.

Malachi kept Judah cuffed to the stairs for a half hour. Ziva was already locked in her room, trying to shield her ears from the obscene things Judah was yelling at her. The word 'slutty' got to her a lot. She knew what was in her past. She knew what she did, and why she did it. She didn't like to talk about it with her NCIS family because she didn't want them to think any less of her, but Judah and Malachi had witnessed it. Judah didn't really mean any of the things he was saying. That was actually his crazy way of showing Ziva he loved her. A knock on the door caused her to quickly wipe her tears away. She debated about answering it.

"Ziva, it's Tony." The voice said. Ziva sighed. She looked in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and red. She didn't want Tony to see her like that, but he had seen her after being held captive for six months, so she decided to deal with it. She would have to talk eventually.

"Yes?" Ziva asked quietly as she opened the door.

"May I come in?" Ziva stepped aside and let him in. They sat down on her old bed, and Tony looked around the room. He saw that the walls were painted vibrant colors. "Who picked out the colors?" he asked her, trying to lighten the mood first.

"Ari and I." she answered. _Crap. _He thought. There was the a-word.

"Do you want to talk about breakfast?" he asked as he brought his hand to Ziva's bloodied cheek. She leaned into his touch and took a deep breath.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Do you believe any of the things Judah was screaming at you?" he wondered.

"Do you?" she returned. He didn't want to lie to her, but he didn't want to push her. He had no idea that Ziva and Ari had been so close, and to ask if she killed him would not be the best thing to ask your girlfriend.

"I'm just a little confused about what he was saying. Why would he say you killed your brother?"

"Because I killed my brother." She confessed, beginning to sob into his shoulder. He rubbed her arms and held her. He kissed her head and tried to comfort her. She was calming down a little. "I didn't want to, Tony. I didn't believe it was him. I loved him so much, so I followed him to Gibbs' house, and I heard him confess what he did. I heard him say how much he hated our father. He took the gun and aimed it at Gibbs, and I killed Ari before he could kill Gibbs. Gibbs didn't even know that we were related until Ari confessed we had the same father before I killed him. He held my hand as I stood over his body and offered to take the blame." She explained. He sighed. She killed her brother to save Gibbs, a man she barely even knew. That had to be where their bond originated. Gibbs and Ziva had a very strong bond.

"Why didn't you ever tell us?" he finally asked once the sobs had stopped. Her face was still stained with tears, and he kissed them away. He touched her so intimately that it made telling him easier.

"We barely knew each other when I came to work with NCIS. What would you think of me if you knew I killed my brother? It made me feel like a monster. I was afraid others would think of me as a monster. That was why I begged for a position with NCIS. I had to get away from Mossad." He nodded.

"Are you still afraid I'll think you're a monster?" he asked.

"A little."

"Well, I don't. It just makes me have more respect for you. It makes me care about you even more. You're not a monster, Ziva. You are far from it. Do you want to know who a monster is? A monster is the man chasing after you, and I think McGee knows something about him being in Berlin." Tony said. He hugged Ziva once more, and placed a kiss to her lips. He decided to give her a minute too wash her face and prepare herself to come back out.

"Thank you, Tony." Ziva said as Tony got up off of her bed and was about to exit the door.

"Oh, and Ziva?" he began when he was about to leave Ziva's room. Ziva gave him a questioning glance, unaware of what he would say. "I could never think any less of you." He said as he looked her in the eye. He had to make an effort to not look at Ziva's other eye and cheek and not want to kill her cousin. Of course, with so many competitive men with guns who cared about the same woman, there was sure to be a duel.

* * *

**I can't believe I've already written nineteen chapters! I guess I have a lot of time on my hands. Anyways, I am so proud of myself, and I am also thankful that there are people out there who appreciate the effort I have put into this story. Thank you to everyone who has made it this far. I am wondering what you all think about the story up to this point. I am trying to keep it surprising and interesting, yet romantic and action-y. Please review, and tell me if you ever get really bored during this story. Thanks again!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Special shout out to Guest1717. Guest 1717, I really appreciate all your comments, and I hope you get an account, so I can automatically reply and tell you how much I love reading them. It inspired me to update faster, so I give you Chapter 20. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of, relating to, or having to do with NCIS, its character, or its past plot and/or story lines. **

* * *

_"Oh, and Ziva?" he began when he was about to leave Ziva's room. Ziva gave him a questioning glance, unaware of what he would say. "I could never think any less of you." He said as he looked her in the eye. He had to make an effort to not look at Ziva's other eye and cheek and not want to kill her cousin. Of course, with so many competitive men with guns who cared about the same woman, there was sure to be a duel._

* * *

That night the Mossad officers continued their production detail outside. The rest of them met in Ziva's old bedroom.

"So, McGee, what do you got?" Gibbs asked once Ziva closed the door.

"Berlin, Boss. I think that Bodnar is in Berlin."

"Details, McGee!"

"Remember how I was telling you about the book? The book also contains information about people preparing for WWIII, especially after the Germans lost in 1945. Other countries, including the ones bordering Israel, have been taking all this time to plan attacks to start in Berlin because of the wall that fell." McGee explained.

"Are you saying they're ready to start WWIII now?" Vance asked. McGee nodded in reply. He had pages and pages of information in front of him, some from his own research, some from what Abby sent him.

"Exactly, and they've got to get the countries to declare war. Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, North Korea, Cuba, Germany, and others are ready to fight us. That's another reason he might want to kill Ziva. Ziva's important to Israel, America…" McGee's continuous speech was interrupted by Malachi's voice.

"Not to mention France, Turkey, the UK." Malachi added.

"She also did a lot of work in Cuba and Italy." Judah said, shrugging to the group of people in Ziva's room.

"You know, I've never caught these many men in Ziva's bed before." Ziva's eyes widened at Judah's comment. Malachi simply laughed.

"You didn't even knock. I could've been getting dressed." Ziva scolded them, much like a sister who wanted privacy every time their little brothers barged in because they wanted to play.

"I wished that was the case." Malachi said. Ziva's first instinct was to knock him unconscious, but she had to push that thought aside. It worried her. That was the Mossad her thinking, and if she kept doing that, she would start acting like one of them, and she really didn't want that. She was struggling to keep the Mossad her locked up in a box never to be reopened, and Judah saw this.

"You would normally pin Malachi to the floor for a comment like that." Judah told everyone. "What is wrong, Ziva? Are you afraid of a little fight?"

"I'm not afraid."

"Then fight us. You used to be able to pin down eight men in Mossad at once." He reminded her.

"Haven't you heard? I fought through all thirty of Saleem Ulman's men in Somalia." She told them proudly.

"Then how come the one man that mattered overpowered you?" Malachi asked. Ziva didn't reply, but her eyes did narrow. She was closing in on the kill. She was thinking of all the ways she could hurt him, but she took a deep breath and tried to forget about all the history between them. That what was they were trying to do. They wanted NCIS to know about her past, but there was a reason it was kept a secret.

"What are you even doing in here?" Ziva asked.

"Overhearing what you knew and didn't tell us. I knew you were betraying us the second Agent McGee's eyes widened at the mention of Berlin. You are still betraying us." Malachi accused.

"I'm withholding information!" Ziva defended herself.

"Is there a difference?" Judah asked.

"This is all need-to-know."

"And you don't trust us?" Malachi wondered.

"You don't need to know." Ziva replied.

"I think I should know if the person I'm defending with my life actually trusts me with her life!" Malachi exclaimed.

"You're not defending me with your life." Ziva said.

"What, Ziva? Are you afraid we'll be out of your debt, if we take a couple bullets for you?" Judah questioned. He knew how to jerk her chain.

"You are not indebted to me." Ziva told him.

"Oh, but, we are. All the beatings you took for us, and those were from your father. You did physically take a couple bullets for us, especially for Ari. You almost got raped for Malachi. You were almost beheaded for me. Somehow, you just don't die." Judah reminded her. Ziva was trying to keep her self-control. She knew how disturbing it was for her co-workers to hear about this. She didn't want them knowing she had been raped.

"Let's hope Bodnar thinks that." Ziva said. "Now get out of my room."

"Or what?" Judah demanded.

"Or I'll shoot you." She threatened. Judah and Malachi smiled. That wasn't the first time she had ever said those words to them. She didn't want to threaten them in front of NCIS, but it was the only way they would get out of her room. They finally left, but stayed outside her door with their ears pressed against it. "I know you're still there!" she shouted. She was afraid everyone in the room would want to talk about it, but they didn't. They knew better than that. Ziva sighed. "I'm sorry, everyone, for that." She finally told them, holding a stare with Gibbs.

"Rule Number 6, Ziver." That was all that was said on the subject before McGee went back to talking about the significance of everything.

"Anyways, they say that the first attacks will be launched from Berlin. The countries have to declare war, though. I think that killing the beloved Eli David is enough for Israel to declare war against whatever country owns up to it."

"But Bodnar ordered the hit. He's Israeli." Ziva reminded them.

"Ziva's got a point. Wouldn't that be Israel declaring was on Israel?" Tony asked.

"He might have been Israeli, but he was still part of a large group of people who want to start WWIII. If we don't move soon and stop the attacks, we could have so many more 9/11s on our hands. All the countries we would fight against want to win this war, and they don't care who they kill. Somalia, Egypt, Libya, Liberia, and South Africa would even turn against us, not to mention other U.S. territories." McGee said.

"So this is a big problem." Vance stated. _Thank you, Captain Obvious. _Tony thought. Ziva seemed to read his thoughts, and gave him a small smile. "I'm gonna have to brief SecNav."

"Not just, SecNav. We also have to brief the president, vice president, other secretaries, ambassadors to other countries, the embassies. If we tell the people, they'll panic."

"So we should just withhold information about upcoming attacks, and when they do come, pretend like we didn't know anything about it?" Tony asked.

"There isn't a huge threat _yet._" McGee clarified. "Other than the murders of Eli David and Jackie Vance, there is no reason to believe that this is actually going on."

"Except when 3,000 more people die in plane crashes, right, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"I don't know what they have planned, Boss. They've been planning this since 1945. It must be pretty intelligent and skilled by now. It's our worst nightmare. All of our enemies are coming together to declare war, and we can't specifically prove it until something bad happens."

"Then let something bad happen." Ziva finally said. They all looked at her in disbelief, so she elaborated. "Give Bodnar what he wants: me. Once he starts torturing me for the secrets, you'll know he is trying to find the last pieces of the puzzle, the last information they need to start this war. Then you can prove it." She explained to them. "Just let Bodnar have what he wants. It's the least we can do before we kill him." She said with a smile that reassured the others.

* * *

**What did you think about Chapter 20? I can't believe that I've written this much. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, and I hope to get some more reviews on this. I love writing this story so much, and I hope you enjoy reading it, but if you've made it this far, you must like it. HOPEFULLY! Thank you so much for the views, reviews, etc. You guys are amazing. I'll try to keep the updates coming today. It's Saturday, so nothing's standing in my way. **


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of, having to do with, or relating to NCIS, its characters, or its past plot/story lines.**

* * *

_"There isn't a huge threat yet." McGee clarified. "Other than the murders of Eli David and Jackie Vance, there is no reason to believe that this is actually going on."_

_"Except when 3,000 more people die in plane crashes, right, McGee?" Gibbs asked._

_"I don't know what they have planned, Boss. They've been planning this since 1945. It must be pretty intelligent and skilled by now. It's our worst nightmare. All of our enemies are coming together to declare war, and we can't specifically prove it until something bad happens."_

_"Then let something bad happen." Ziva finally said. They all looked at her in disbelief, so she elaborated. "Give Bodnar what he wants: me. Once he starts torturing me for the secrets, you'll know he is trying to find the last pieces of the puzzle, the last information they need to start this war. Then you can prove it." She explained to them. "Just let Bodnar have what he wants. It's the least we can do before we kill him." She said with a smile that reassured the others._

* * *

"Hey, Malachi?" Judah whispered to him on the ground floor.

"What, Judah?" Malachi whispered right back.

"Do you want to have some fun?"

"What kind of fun?" Malachi asked in return.

"You saw a little bit of the old Ziva up there, right?" Judah asked, making sure he was not the only one who noticed it.

"Yes, I did. It felt good seeing a little bit of fire in her eyes that used to be there all the time. I thought America had gotten rid of it."

"Not America, Somalia." Judah corrected. "She hasn't been the same since then. No one really knows what happened there. All I know is what happened for her to get there and back. No one knows the during."

"So how do you want to have a little fun?"

"That fiery Ziva was good to see. I would like to see more of her. What do you say to purposefully feeding that small fire to turn into a wildfire, and you know what happens during a wildfire, Malachi?"

"Every tree gets burned."

"Even the NCIS ones." Judah clarified.

"Especially the NCIS ones. I understand your point."

"What was that at breakfast, Malachi? You didn't even give me one warning. Why did you take her side? I can't believe you handcuffed me to the staircase. The only person who has ever gotten away with that is Ari."

"Yeah, well, Ari's dead, and we have to remind Ziva about that. We have to remind her that she is mourning the loss of the man who would beat her for information, torture her for her siblings, make her sleep with eleven men at the age of fifteen, make her wear a black, lace corset on stage, and she killed the one man who consoled her all of her life, and I don't even think that she shed one tear for him." Malachi explained.

"What are you getting at?"

"She's still looking for a man to console her and not betray her. She's being a little more careful, but that's what she's doing. I need to be that man. I need her trust, and right now, you're the bad guy. I have to swoop in and kill you, so she'll come running to me." Judah smiled.

"I believe the Americans call it, 'Good Cop, Bad Cop'."

"And that's how we'll break her."

"How do you intend to do this, Malachi?"

"Firstly, by saving her from a hit that I put out on her." He whispered.

"You put a hit out on Ziva?" Judah whispered even more quietly, afraid that anything would hear them. Judah was entirely in disbelief. "Aren't you in love with her _still_?" he emphasized.

"It's not a real hit, Judah. It's just supposed to look like it, and when her beloved NCIS agents can't save her and I can, she will reevaluate us."

"Are you still in love with her?"

"It's so easy. You are you lucky that you are her cousin. You can't fall in love with her." Judah sighed.

"Just don't let it blind you. Ziva's good at getting what she wants. Just make sure that if you try to use her, she doesn't find out. She will use you right back, and it will hurt a lot more. I've seen it done, and it's not pretty."

"Are you worrying about me, Judah?"

"Of course not."

"Do you hate Ziva?"

"I hate this woman she has turned into which is why I need your help to discover the Ziva that I know and love is still in there. That argument upstairs gave me hope. If we talk about her past, that Ziva we raised is in there with those memories."

"How do we know the Americans won't defend her?"

"Once they find out her true colors, they won't want anything to do with her. That's how it always is. People leave her because they are afraid of her."

"They didn't leave when they found out she killed Ari." Malachi reminded him.

"With everything else we know about her, trust me, Malachi, they will begin to run back to America. They won't wait for a plane." Judah laughed, and Malachi soon joined him.

* * *

"You want to set yourself up, Ziver?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, Gibbs. He's not going to kill until he gets what he wants from me. We don't even know what that is exactly until we decode these letters. I have to count on you guys for that while I'm being held by Bodnar." Ziva instructed.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Tony added his thoughts. All eyes were now on him. Of course, they were all worried about Ziva, except Ziva. In Gibbs's mind, he was trying to think of every other possible way to get out of handing Ziva over. He really didn't want to do that, but he also didn't want to be responsible for World War III.

"Tony, it's the only thing we can do."

"No, there has to be another way, Ziva. We can figure something out."

"It's not a puzzle, Tony. It's not even that complicated."

"It is a bit like a puzzle, Ziva, with the letters from your father. We still have no idea what the secrets are and where they are. That's the puzzle part. It could take months before we actually decode anything." McGee told her.

"And besides, David, doesn't Bodnar know how much NCIS cares about you, especially us?" Vance questioned. "Wouldn't he bit a bit suspicious that we finally decide to just hand you over and be done with you?"

"If I go to Berlin on my own, he will have no reason to suspect that NCIS is even involved. He knows me as someone who doesn't like to ask for help. He wouldn't suspect that I'd come in with backup, especially since my pride has been ruined enough, crying for my father."

"I still don't think it's a good idea." Tony repeated.

"Let's decode a couple of letters first. Once we do, you can go to Berlin with backup, just not in contact with you." Gibbs decided.

"Bodnar will know. If this has been going on since the end of WWII, then there must be spies everywhere, Gibbs." Ziva argued.

"Ziva, this is not a debate."

"I'm not putting you in danger."

"And we're not putting you in danger."

"It's the only way, Gibbs."

"I know." He said, much to everyone's surprise.

* * *

**Gibbs is on board. There will be more to come tonight, so keep checking. Please. I can't believe my story is now at 21 chapters. You're My Safety is now legally able to drink. I bet it's pretty happy right now. At least, I know I'm happy, and I hope you're happy with the story as well. Please review! I get a wheelchair today, and I appreciate all reviews. Thank you to all my 15,000 viewers so far. **


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of, relating to, or having to do with NCIS, its characters, or its past plot and/or story lines. **

* * *

_"If I go to Berlin on my own, he will have no reason to suspect that NCIS is even involved. He knows me as someone who doesn't like to ask for help. He wouldn't suspect that I'd come in with backup, especially since my pride has been ruined enough, crying for my father."_

_"I still don't think it's a good idea." Tony repeated._

_"Let's decode a couple of letters first. Once we do, you can go to Berlin with backup, just not in contact with you." Gibbs decided._

_"Bodnar will know. If this has been going on since the end of WWII, then there must be spies everywhere, Gibbs." Ziva argued._

_"Ziva, this is not a debate."_

_"I'm not putting you in danger."_

_"And we're not putting you in danger."_

_"It's the only way, Gibbs."_

_"I know." He said, much to everyone's surprise._

* * *

"Knock. Knock." Judah said as he knocked on the door to the room Tony was currently staying in.

"Judah." Tony greeted bitterly, his name like sour milk on his tongue.

"Anthony."

"I go by Tony."

"Well, I will call you Anthony." Judah stressed.

"What do you want, Officer Agassi?" Judah was distracted as he spun around the bedroom, taking in the faint smell of perfume. Ziva must have sprayed Tali's signature perfume around the room.

"Do you know whose room this was?" Judah asked.

"Tali's." Tony answered.

"I haven't been in here in years. Wow. Ziva must care about you. She wouldn't let us in here for months. She said she had to keep Tali's room clean for her." Judah explained. "That's why I came in. I set up the living room downstairs. I thought you might want to watch some of Ziva's home movies." He said. "You've never really seen her dance around and sing."

"I heard she's good at it."

"You have no idea."

"Were you and Ziva close?" Tony asked as Judah walked over to the pictures on the dresser.

"Ziva never fit in with our female cousins. Her first kill was at the age of ten, Agent DiNozzo. The girl was a sex slave. Here, even if women are raped, they've lost their purity, their innocence, and that was something all her cousins had. She fit in with us because we shared that. We all killed people, and we hated it."

"Then why did you do it?" Tony had to ask. They seemed pretty miserable in the Mossad.

"You don't know? Why do you think everyone in Israel has so many kids? I'm one of eight. Michael was one of nine. Malachi was one of thirteen. Here, you have to sacrifice your two oldest sons to Mossad. Michael, Malachi, and I were sacrificed. Eli David didn't have two sons to give. He sacrificed Ari, and then once Rivka got her tubes tied…"

"Eli sacrificed his oldest daughter." Tony finished. Judah nodded.

"None of us ever wanted to do this, but you don't say no. We didn't have the guts. Only one person had the guts, and it killed us that she was the only woman."

"Ziva?"

"You know what my first words were? Yes, Uncle Eli. He trained all of us. Michael's first words were 'yes, Uncle Eli'. Ari's first words were 'yes, Father'. Ziva's were 'no'. That's how we knew she was different. She actually stood up for us. She had the balls that we didn't have, and she took every beating for not backing down. Your partner has a complicated past, Agent DiNozzo, and only a few people can appreciate it."

"What else happened?" Tony really was curious.

"Here men don't care about women. They're treated like trash, raped in the streets. That's why Ziva was such a big deal. No woman had ever been able to defend herself like that, but being a sex slave gave her this passion that drove her to succeed. She doesn't hate men, but it's hard for her to trust them. She has a beautiful body now, and she had one then. Eli wanted to use it to the advantage of Mossad."

"Did they ever really hurt her?"

"Ziva kept refusing to strip on stage. She would never let drunken men touch her again. Even when she was a sex slave, she fought it. She just wasn't strong enough. Then she was. Eli would do anything to her, and she wouldn't budge. Then, he started tying Tali up, threatening her. Eli realized that the way to get to Ziva is to threaten the people she cares about. It's why Saleem Ulman never broke her. The people she loves is her weakness. Let's just hope Bodnar doesn't know that." He explained. Tony was still trying to absorb everything.

"I'll be down in a minute." Judah nodded as he left his dead cousin's old room. It still hurt a little bit every time he went in there. Tali was never sacrificed. She was the only one that had a chance, but she had died first, at the hand of her half-brother.

* * *

Judah had managed to get everyone down for some home movies, except for Ziva. He decided he would let someone else call her down. Tony didn't want to upset her, so he didn't call her down. He was still shaken up by what Judah had told him. McGee was excited, so he instantly decided to call Ziva down.

"Hey, Ziva!" he exclaimed. "Can you come down here?"

"One minute, McGee!" Ziva called back. She came rushing down the stairs a couple of minutes later in a tank top and a pair of sweat pants. Tony definitely appreciated it, but he started to feel like one of those perverts who used to feel her up when she was nine. For some reason, he couldn't get that out of his head.

"What is this?" she asked, gesturing towards everyone gathered around the flat screen TV. She was still a little uncomfortable with all of them in the same room at once.

"Just sit down on the couch." Judah told her. Ziva was a little reluctant, but Tony saw her confused look and instantly thought it was adorable. His eyes met hers, and she was automatically reassured. She took a seat next to Tony, and they sat a little closer together than was necessary. They noticed, especially Malachi, but they didn't say anything. They were used to it.

"Please tell me what it is." She almost begged. _I know Ziva didn't just beg. What side of her is this? _Tony thought.

"You'll find out in a minute."

"But a minute is so far away. You can just tell me now."

"Well, what's the fun in that?"

"I find out what this is."

"Then how am I supposed to teach you about patience?"

"I know about patience." She defended, sitting up a little.

"Then, you can wait a little longer." Tony knew what this was. This was the big brother picking on his little sister. This was the teasing family. This was likely how they acted when they were younger. No wonder Judah craved it again. It was something special to have that relationship with someone. Judah hit play, and there on the television screen was a four-year-old Ziva getting her hair pulled by her older brother, the nine-year-old Ari.

"Oh, turn this off." Ziva said, covering her eyes.

"Just a little bit more." Judah told her.

[on screen]

"Ari, it hurts." Ziva complained.

"Sorry, Ziva."

"I want Abba."

"You have to say father. He wants us to speak English."

"English is hard. It's compvated." She said.

"I think you mean complicated, and it's definitely not as complicated as you." Ari said, and he stuck his tongue out at her before pulling his little sister off the ground and swinging her around the sand.

[off-screen]

The screen messed up and went snowy.

"See, Judah, even the television doesn't like it." Ziva said. Judah was about to give her a reply, but they were interrupted by a different video.

[on-screen]

"Good morning. My name's Ari Haswari, and we are here to celebrate the fourteenth birthday of our very own Ziva David." Ari was holding the camera, which was facing him at the time, and then aimed it towards a very beautiful young lady.

"Ari, turn off the camera." Ziva said, before tucking her straightened hair behind her ear.

"I can't help it. You are too beautiful."

"What did I tell you about complimenting me?"

"You know, Ziva, I don't think you should go out in public alone anymore. If we weren't related, I might jump you."

"That's disgusting, Ari." Ziva remarked before ten-year-old Tali came up and sat beside her sister.

"Ziva, I'm hungry."

"What do you want to eat, Tatelah." Ziva said, stroking her sister's hair, much like she had done to her own only seconds ago.

"I want chocolate."

"For breakfast?"

"It's good anytime of the day, Ziva." Ziva smiled.

"Tali, do you know what to day is?" Ari asked. Tali looked like she was in deep thought for a minute. She reflected on everything. Was she supposed to remember something?

"No." she answered simply.

"Today is Ziva's birthday." Tali looked at Ziva.

"It is?"

"It is." Ziva replied before putting an arm around her sister and pulling her in for a hug.

"You don't have to cook for me, then." Tali decided. Ziva smiled, but Ari found himself quite annoyed with the child. Ziva gave Ari a soft smile as she hugged Tali one more time.

"Why don't you go play with your porcelain dolls? I'll be up soon." Ziva told her. Tali did as she was instructed. "Ari, what's wrong?"

"She's spoiled. We risk our lives every single day."

"That's not her fault. We've been training since before she was conceived." Ziva defended her.

"She doesn't know what it is like to work, Ziva. She has never experienced pain. She leaves everything to you. She depends on you."

"Well, you depend on me, too, Ari."

"That's not the point, Baby Girl. The point is that she has not suffered like us. Father thinks she is better than us. We kill, and we torture, and we protect our country. What does that girl do? She sits home and plays with dolls while you are forced to sleep with men to keep her alive and hope they spit out some information. She doesn't understand, Baby."

"I do not want her to understand. I envy her innocence. I often wish I could be like her again, but the only thing I can do for her right now is keep her alive. You and I are as good as dead. She has a chance, and I need to preserve that."

"And that is why I love you, Ziva, with all my heart. You truly are the brightest star in the sky, and you better remember that. You are my star."

"I love you, too, Ari."

* * *

"Alright, Judah, you've embarrassed me. You have played my home videos. Can I leave now?" Ziva asked. She didn't want any more secrets like that to come out. She had made several efforts to forget the past. Watching it was not helping.

"Ziva, just a few more." Malachi said. He was smiling. Malachi looked to the window. "Ziva!" he screamed, and he jumped on top of her, tackling her to the ground as four bullets were shot at her, each of them hitting the vest that Malachi was wearing. They were in shock. "Are you alright, Director?" he asked, keeping her on the ground. Judah had shot at the shooter, but he had gotten away. Everyone was crowded around Ziva to make sure she was alright.

"I am fine." She said. "Are you?" she asked, motioning towards Malachi's beaten up shirt. Nothing hurt him. He would probably have a few bruises, but that was it.

"Yes."

"Thank you, Malachi. You saved my life."

"Anytime, Director." The smile Malachi gave Ziva made Tony want to shoot him again.

* * *

**I feel so bad for not updating as much as I should be, but I've been crazy with doctor's appointments, emergency room visits, MRIs, dopplers, the list goes on. I've lost all feeling in my left leg, which kind of sucks, but my story has reached twenty-two chapters. Really, I just wanted to write a one-shot, but now I am happy with my story. You should make my day and review. Please. I would love to hear what you think. **


	23. Chapter 23

**I am so sorry for not updating in a while. I just got released from the hospital after surgery. Here is Chapter 23. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of, relating to, or having to do with NCIS, its characters, and its past plot and/or story lines.**

* * *

_Malachi looked to the window. "Ziva!" he screamed, and he jumped on top of her, tackling her to the ground as four bullets were shot at her, each of them hitting the vest that Malachi was wearing. They were in shock. "Are you alright, Director?" he asked, keeping her on the ground. Judah had shot at the shooter, but he had gotten away. Everyone was crowded around Ziva to make sure she was alright._

_ "I am fine." She said. "Are you?" she asked, motioning towards Malachi's beaten up shirt. Nothing hurt him. He would probably have a few bruises, but that was it. _

_ "Yes." _

_ "Thank you, Malachi. You saved my life." _

_ "Anytime, Director." The smile Malachi gave Ziva made Tony want to shoot him again. _

"The shooter got away." Judah said, pretending like he didn't know the shooting was coming. He caught Malachi's glance.

"We should send the bullets back to Abby." McGee suggested.

"Mossad will take care of everything. Do not worry about any of this." Malachi quickly jumped in.

"What the hell do you mean don't worry? She was just shot at, and the shooter got away!" Tony exclaimed.

"It is nothing she isn't used to." Malachi said. "Right, Ziva?"

"I still don't appreciate it." Ziva lightly remarked.

"We will catch him." Malachi assured her.

"Thank you again, Malachi." Ziva said as she began to walk up the stairs, leaving the men alone.

"You must have a sixth sense or something, Malachi." Gibbs said.

"It is part of the training in Mossad, Agent Gibbs." Malachi remarked, trying to brush it off. All he wanted was to gain Ziva's trust once again, not cause suspicion from the others.

"No, I mean that was very quick. You seemed to have known the exact second to look out the window, and then the shooting started. It's a good thing you saved her. Unfortunately, the shooter got away." Gibbs said.

"Unfortunately." Malachi repeated.

"Did I see you scratch your head a second before the shooting started, almost as if giving a signal?" Gibbs asked, causing everyone to look at him in surprise, even Judah. They couldn't find out Judah knew about this.

"It must have been a coincidence."

"Rule 39."

* * *

"You had to scratch your head?" Judah asked when everyone was upstairs, and the two of them were putting away the television and the home videos.

"I did not know Agent Gibbs was that observant."

"You should not have assumed, Malachi."

"I did not mean to." He snarled.

"Let's just hope that Agent Gibbs does not press further into it."

"I don't think he will. It would be against Ziva's best interest. She is very unstable right now, Judah. They have no idea how to control her."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Judah said as he put the videos on the counter.

"What do you mean?"

"Ziva's stayed with him for eight years now, Malachi. She obviously trusts him and his instincts. He has more control over her than we do."

"He does?"

"They all do. She has no desire to be here. All she wants is to be an NCIS agent. I have no idea why. She just does. Ziva never really loved Mossad, but for some reason she loves NCIS."

"Did you ever think that maybe it's not the job she loves."

"Then what could it be?"  
"The people she works with."

* * *

McGee was in his room, sitting with his laptop in his lap, typing quickly. He hit the keys violently, as if the harder he hit, the faster they'd type. He had to hack into all of these databases secretly kept in Mossad.

McGee had finally accessed a file that had so much more information from the original Operation BRIGHTNESS. Relief had suddenly washed over him, and he began to take notes to share with his co-workers.

Suddenly the file disappeared. His computer went black. McGee tried to do everything he could. He was too shocked when it had originally happened, until a video popped onto the screen. He recognized the face. The face had ended up on the NCIS Most Wanted Wall. Ilan Bodnar was staring McGee right in the face.

"Ah, Agent McGee, pleasure to see you."

"Can't say the same for you, Bodnar." McGee replied.

"It is a shame that Michael Sharen had to die. He was the one who placed the bomb. He must have backed out at the last second. He must have remembered how much he loved Ziva. He gave his life for her. Are you willing to do the same, Agent McGee?" he asked.

"Of course."

"The shooting had nothing to do with me." Bodnar said. This surprised McGee. _How does he know about the shooting? _"Ziva is not as safe as you may think, and neither are her secrets. I know that you have recently discovered why I want her. There are codes that were left behind to start this war. Eli David stole every one of them. Ziva is now the only way to access them, but be mindful, Agent McGee, I am not the only one after her."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think I would really fight alongside the descendants of Nazis? Believe it or not, I am trying to prevent this war from taking place. The world is ready. Our enemies are ready to strike. I have to get the secrets from her before they get to her."

"Who are they?"

"Russia. North Korea. Afghanistan. Iraq. Iran. South Africa. Columbia. The list goes on. We have to prepare ourselves. By sacrificing a few, we will be saving millions."

"You don't even know where they are."

"That's why I need Ziva."

"You want to torture her for information to prevent a war. What is the information?"

"It includes our weakest points. Israel's low defenses. America's safe houses and the routes for Air Force One. Ways to attack the president. Osama Bin Laden found one of the sheets of information, and then he began to plan 9/11. That was just one."

"How many are there."  
"The only person who would know is Ziva, but the people coming for her will kill her."

"But they need the information."

"They will kill her, and then they will look for the secrets. Think about it. If I can find

her, so can they. By hurting her and testing her, I am protecting her from the enemy. I will not kill her."

"Until you get the information."

"Exactly."

"And what if I were to tell you that the people behind the shooting are much closer than you think?" Bodnar asked. McGee's mind automatically went to the Mossad officers protecting them. "Yes, Agent McGee. Officer Ben-Gidon ordered the hit."

* * *

**So, Bodnar's trying to prevent the war, but he is killing people in the process. I will hopefully get Chapter 24 up today. I have an MRI scheduled, though. If not, I will upload a lot more tomorrow. Please review. Reviews will make me feel so much better. I read all reviews, and I would sincerely appreciate one. Thank you so much. **


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of, relating to, or having to do with NCIS, its characters, or ****its past plot and/or story lines. **_  
_

_ "And what if I were to tell you that the people behind the shooting are much closer than you think?" Bodnar asked. McGee's mind automatically went to the Mossad officers protecting them. "Yes, Agent McGee. Officer Ben-Gidon ordered the hit."_

[While McGee was researching and being terrified of Bodnar]

"Ziva, are you sure you're okay?" Tony asked as he sat beside Ziva on her bed.

"I am fine, Tony. I promise. The bullets did not even touch me." Ziva reminded him.

"They could've."

"They didn't."

"You know, you've been using a lot more contractions lately. It's starting to scare me."

"I have been?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty proud of you, though." He said before leaning down and surprising Ziva in a passionate kiss. Ziva was expecting something sweet and soft, but this was a pleasant surprise. She got on her knees on her bed, so she could reach Tony a little better. Tony had one arm around her waist, and his other hand was entangled in her hair. Ziva's arms were around Tony's neck, and he pulled her down on top of him. After a few more seconds, Ziva pulled back for air.

"If that is what I receive for using contractions, I will use them more often." He laughed.

"I've wanted to do that all day."

"Have you?"

"Actually for a while."

"What has stopped you, Tony?" she asked. She was still on top of him, their fingers intertwined. His arm was wrapped around her back, and her head was on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"I don't want to take advantage of you." He admitted.

"You obviously don't think very much of yourself. You are convinced that I could only want to be with you, if I'm weak and vulnerable. Trust me, Tony," she began before capturing his lips once more. He moaned into the kiss. "I want this." She said, sitting up a little and staring into his eyes. "I want you." She whispered.

Tony thought that the way she said those words were incredibly sexy. He smiled.

"I want you, too."

"I know." She smirked.

"Someone's a little cocky."

"Not cocky." She defended.

"Then what?"

"Hopeful." She said, and he kissed her softly once again. He was really enjoying the idea of committing to Ziva. He liked to be able to say he had a girlfriend. The problem was that he had no one to say it to at the moment, other than his girlfriend.

"When are we going to tell everyone about this?" he asked, gesturing between the two of them. She had been thinking about that as well.

"I don't know." Ziva sighed. "They have so much to worry about right now. I wish all of this could be over."

"We all do, Ziva."

"I want to tell them, but whenever I think there is a right time, something else happens." She explained. "I want to tell them together, though, as a couple." She had decided.

"Okay." He agreed.

"My father's letters are really confusing me." She said after a couple moments of silence.

"They are a little strange, aren't they?"

"I don't understand how my name is the key to all this secret information about ways to attack the world and start World War III. My father never mentioned that."

"Maybe he was trying to."

"I don't know. I keep going over so many conversations we shared. I keep overanalyzing it. I'm wondering if he ever tried to tell me, and I kept pushing him away. That seems like something I would do. Right now, I just want to figure everything out. I want to find out where this book is, catch Bodnar, burn this book, and go home and kiss my boyfriend." She told him.

"Well, you can kiss your boyfriend right now." He joked.

"Tony." She scolded.

"Sorry." He whispered. She took a deep breath. "Is there anything I can do for you?" Tony asked. "Is there anything you need?"

"I need to know who is on my side, and who is not." She replied. He took her other hand in his and kissed her forehead.

"I'm on your side, Ziva. Don't ever forget that. I've got your back, and so does Gibbs and McGee. We're here for you. Just because Vance forced you to switch agencies, doesn't meet you're not my partner anymore." He told her. She smiled. She leaned forward to kiss him, but the two were interrupted.

"BOSS!" McGee yelled throughout the house. Tony groaned.

"Is he serious? Are we ever going to have an uninterrupted moment?" he asked, and she laughed in reply. Hearing her laughter was enough to cheer him up. She gave him a peck on the lips before getting up, fixing her hair a little to make it look like she hadn't been making out, and left the room. Tony followed a minute later.

"What do you got, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"Bodnar hacked into my computer." He whispered. He didn't want Malachi to get suspicious that he knew. Tony and Ziva had met up with them by now. McGee gestured for them to follow him into his current room.

"What did you say, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"Bodnar hacked into my computer." McGee repeated.

"Did he do any damage?" Ziva wondered.

"He erased all of my research, but then he did a video file, and we video chatted." This got everyone's attention.

"You talked to Bodnar?" Tony reiterated. McGee nodded.

"What did he say?" Ziva demanded.

"He said the shooting that took place wasn't his fault. He said that Malachi ordered the hit." McGee began.

"Then why would he save me?"

"He also said that Michael placed the bomb in the safe house."

"Again, McGee, why would he save me?"

"That's not all." McGee continued.

"Spit it out, McGee." Gibbs said.

"He said that he's trying to prevent World War III from taking place."

"He's got a funny way of showing it." Tony noticed.

"Anyways, Bodnar told me that he wants the information to prevent the war. He didn't say anything about destroying it or using fake information, but he said he needs to get Ziva for it." McGee explained. They were all still having a little trouble comprehending what McGee had just told them.

"If he wasn't involved in the shooting, how did he know about it?" Gibbs asked. There were several flaws in this. They couldn't take Bodnar's word for it. Bodnar wanted to kill Ziva.

"He said he knows where we are. He said he's watching us, and he told me that if he can find Ziva, then so can the enemy."

"And what does he propose we do about it?" Just then, the door was shot down, displaying Ilan Bodnar right in front of them. His face sent shivers down Ziva's spine. They all had their gins to shoot, but suddenly four men broke in through the window and knocked Ziva unconscious with a lamp. They picked her up and put a gun to her head, carrying her to Bodnar. Bodnar took her in his arms and wiped away the blood dripping down Ziva's face.

"Hello, Ziva." He said, caressing her cheek. There was nothing the other three agents could do at the moment. "I wasn't exactly sure where you were until I found where Agent McGee's laptop was connecting to." He explained. "Then I knew Ziva was staying here. I never imagined she would return to her childhood home."

Tony looked to Gibbs, but for once, Gibbs didn't know what to do. As long as Ziva was in Bodnar's arms, they were powerless.

"In case you think of trying anything, there are twelve more men downstairs, all of them trained Mossad. Your protection detail has been overpowered. I will be taking Ziva and the letters, please." He requested. "The letters!" Bodnar exclaimed. "Now!"

The letters were in McGee's desk. McGee wasn't sure to give them over or not. He looked over at Gibbs and Tony, each had a degree of fear in their face.

"Give him the letters, Tim." Gibbs whispered." McGee only handed Bodnar six letters. There was no way Bodnar would know how many there really were. Bodnar took the letters delicately in his hand.

"Ziva was always weak, yet she was held in higher esteem than me. Once I stop this war from happening, no one will ever doubt who is superior." He said, before retreating through the door, the men who had attacked Ziva following behind him.

* * *

**Chapter 24 as promised. I hope you like it. I've been thinking about getting Ziva kidnapped for a while now. I would love some reviews. Pretty please. Pretty, pretty, pretty please. I will work on Chapter 25 today, but I am not sure if I will get it up today. I promise that there will be some major updates tomorrow like when I first wrote this story. Thank you for reading up to this point. I am so thankful that people actually read what I write. Also, what did you think about the tiva in this chapter. I hope it wasn't too much. **


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of, relating to, or having to do with NCIS, its characters, or its past plot and/or story lines.**_  
_

* * *

_"And what does he propose we do about it?" Just then, the door was shot down, displaying Ilan Bodnar right in front of them. His face sent shivers down Ziva's spine. They all had their gins to shoot, but suddenly four men broke in through the window and knocked Ziva unconscious with a lamp. They picked her up and put a gun to her head, carrying her to Bodnar. Bodnar took her in his arms and wiped away the blood dripping down Ziva's face._

_"Hello, Ziva." He said, caressing her cheek. There was nothing the other three agents could do at the moment. "I wasn't exactly sure where you were until I found where Agent McGee's laptop was connecting to." He explained. "Then I knew Ziva was staying here. I never imagined she would return to her childhood home."_

_Tony looked to Gibbs, but for once, Gibbs didn't know what to do. As long as Ziva was in Bodnar's arms, they were powerless._

_"In case you think of trying anything, there are twelve more men downstairs, all of them trained Mossad. Your protection detail has been overpowered. I will be taking Ziva and the letters, please." He requested. "The letters!" Bodnar exclaimed. "Now!"_

_The letters were in McGee's desk. McGee wasn't sure to give them over or not. He looked over at Gibbs and Tony, each had a degree of fear in their face._

_"Give him the letters, Tim." Gibbs whispered." McGee only handed Bodnar six letters. There was no way Bodnar would know how many there really were. Bodnar took the letters delicately in his hand._

_"Ziva was always weak, yet she was held in higher esteem than me. Once I stop this war from happening, no one will ever doubt who is superior." He said, before retreating through the door, the men who had attacked Ziva following behind him._

* * *

**THE NEXT MORNING**

The agents spent the remainder of the night in an Israeli hospital, in shock. Being on invitation, they couldn't do anything without Mossad's consent, and the Mossad officers of importance were all unconscious. Malachi was the first to wake up.

"Officer Ben-Gidon, do you remember what happened?" Gibbs asked him, once he opened his eyes. Malachi looked around the room. He perfectly remembered the events before the lights went out, but he was having difficulty articulating his thoughts. Malachi's eyes wandered around the room. He fixed them on Tony.

"I tried to stop them." He finally said. "I swear on the little life I have left that I tried to stop them from touching Ziva. There were so many. We were outnumbered, and we all had the same training." Malachi explained.

"I know." Gibbs whispered. He was about to leave the room when Malachi called him back.

"Agent Gibbs, I know how you feel about apologies," he began. This got the attention of everyone in the room, "but I feel that I owe you an apology. I was assigned to protect her, and I know how much you care about her. I know how much all of you care about her, so I am sorry." He said sincerely. The agents didn't respond. They left his room, as if they couldn't hear what he had said.

Judah's room was next. Gibbs poked his head in to see Judah wide awake. He was staring at a certain spot on the wall. He was not as sincere or apologetic as Malachi had been.

"You need to leave." Judah instructed.

"My agent was just abducted!" Gibbs exclaimed. "I'm not leaving."

"She is not your agent anymore. Leon assured me she was no longer an agent with NCIS. She was the temporary director of Mossad, ready to return to you upon the capture of Ilan Bodnar. She is my leader, Agent Gibbs."

"You can say whatever you want about it, Agassi. You can shove any papers you want in my face, but you better know that Ziva David will always be my agent, so don't expect me to do nothing while she's getting tortured for information." Tony and McGee were still standing in the corner of the room, unable to speak.

"You need to leave." Judah repeated.

"No, we don't." Gibbs argued. Just then, Vance pulled the three agents out of the hospital room. Judah gave them a small smile upon their departure.

"Have a good trip." He called to them.

The three agents followed Vance into the hallway of the hospital.

"We need to leave, Gibbs." Vance told him. Gibbs took a breath. He knew what was going to happen. He knew how this would end.

"Why, Director?"

"We were here on invitation from the acting director of Mossad." Vance reminded him. "Ziva's been abducted now, and Mossad is unwilling to extend the invitation. They've demanded us to leave immediately. They even got us a flight home."

"We can't just leave her. We have to find her."

"I signed her over to Mossad, Gibbs."  
"Like a piece of property?" Tony butted in. "She's already been signed over enough in her life. That was supposed to end when she joined NCIS. I guess it didn't happen!"

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs exclaimed. Before Gibbs could continue speaking, Tony already began walking off. Gibbs decided that Tony needed to cool off. He would deal with him a little later, hopefully before he lost his job.

McGee looked lost during everything that was going on. He stood there silently, protectively holding on to the remaining letters in his coat pocket. If they were being required to leave the country, McGee decided he wouldn't tell NCIS or Mossad about the letters just yet. For now, they were his little secret. He just had to figure out what they meant.

* * *

The team was given three hours to pack up all of their things. Mossad was not providing a security detail for them, but would arrive and escort them to the airport at the given time. They had two hours left and beginning wandering around the house. It was a beautiful house.

Gibbs decided to confront DiNozzo about his behavior at the hospital during these two hours.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs called. DiNozzo sighed and looked behind him to find Gibbs in his doorway, staring right at him with two cups of coffee in his hands.

"You trying to bribe me with coffee?" he asked. Gibbs didn't answer. He just handed it out for Tony, and Tony reluctantly accepted it. "Thanks, Boss." He muttered. "You gonna tell me that my conduct at the hospital was completely out of line and unjustified."

"No." Gibbs simply stated.

"Really? Come on. I had this whole speech prepared and everything about how I'm not gonna lose her again, and we can't leave an agent behind…"

"Everyone keeps saying she's not an agent anymore, DiNozzo. What do you say to that?"

"Something you said once. You're always an agent." Gibbs smiled a little. That was the answer he was looking for.

"You gonna give up?" Gibbs asked him. Tony nearly choked on his coffee. He looked at Gibbs for added effect. _Like I would ever give up on Ziva. _

"Hell, no." For a second, Tony thought about telling Gibbs about his relationship with Ziva. He wanted to tell Gibbs about how much he cared about Ziva, how much he wanted to kiss her right now, how much he wanted to put a bullet in Bodnar's head, how many red roses he wanted to buy Ziva, but he remembered that Ziva wanted to be with him when they told Gibbs. He decided to honor that. They'd tell everyone when Ziva got back.

* * *

While Gibbs had been talking to Tony, McGee found himself hypnotized by Eli's study. He thought that maybe there was something that Ziva had missed, something that she just hadn't found. He still had the letters in his pocket, and by then, he had already copied everything onto other papers, should something happen to the original.

McGee looked around the study. He found himself staring at Eli's old bookshelf. There was something that seemed off about it. There were several famous, thick novels up there. He read the titles.

A Tale of Two Cities

Les Miserables

The Bible

Romeo and Juliet

Pride and Prejudice

McGee stopped there. Pride and Prejudice seemed a little feminine for Eli's taste. Then, he remembered Ziva saying something about how she read several classic books to help her practice English. Pride and Prejudice must have been one of them. _Maybe Ziva would want it when she gets back. _McGee grabbed the book off the shelf and flipped through the pages until he round a bookmark in it with a note for Ziva.

My Child,

Pride and prejudice fill the earth, and that is one of the reasons for the following war. This war will prove which nation is dominant. I only hope you can find everything before it is too late. If only I had told you and not your sister. Your sister was well acquainted with these secrets, so near and dear to the heart of the world.

Love,

The Father of My Child

McGee read the bookmark several times. It meant something. It was a clue. Eli had set everything up for Ziva. After all, Ziva was named in honor of the book and operation. Eli would never have told Tali the location of the book. Tali was a clue. Tali had something to do with the location. McGee couldn't wait until he could brief the others.

* * *

**So this isn't a pure TIVA story, but don't worry! I am really sorry I haven't updated in a while. My cousin came here to visit, and she his my computer because she said I was spending too much time on FanFics, which is true, but... Anyways, I would really appreciate some reviews. Was it worth the wait? I'll try not to force you to wait that long again, but if I can get to 100 reviews, I will be a very happy person. **


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of or relating to NCIS. **

* * *

_McGee grabbed the book off the shelf and flipped through the pages until he round a bookmark in it with a note for Ziva._

_My Child,_

_Pride and prejudice fill the earth, and that is one of the reasons for the following war. This war will prove which nation is dominant. I only hope you can find everything before it is too late. If only I had told you and not your sister. Your sister was well acquainted with these secrets, so near and dear to the heart of the world._

_Love,_

_The Father of My Child_

_McGee read the bookmark several times. It meant something. It was a clue. Eli had set everything up for Ziva. After all, Ziva was named in honor of the book and operation. Eli would never have told Tali the location of the book. Tali was a clue. Tali had something to do with the location. McGee couldn't wait until he could brief the others._

* * *

**ONE MONTH LATER**

They couldn't do anything. Ziva's abduction was not their jurisdiction because, according to Vance and Mossad, Ziva was no longer an NCIS agent. Staring at that empty desk killed all of them every single day, but McGee was convinced that Tony was going insane.

Tony stared at Ziva's desk, no longer caring what anyone observing him thought. Just then, Abby rushed up carrying two things in each hand. Tony couldn't make out what they were from where he was sitting.

Abby held up what was on top. They all looked at it. It was Ziva's passport picture; the one where she looks absolutely perfect, with the most radiant smile and a halo surrounding her. Tony was so lost in the picture that he didn't even notice the engraving on the picture frame.

**BRING HER BACK TO US**

Tony couldn't agree with that statement more. There was something he had to tell her, something that he needed her to know. All of a sudden, Abby was putting the frame on his desk. No words were spoken as she gently put the picture in front of him. Tony reached out his hand to touch the cold glass in the frame gently, as if the picture was actually Ziva.

Abby had already put a frame on McGee's desk by then, and she moved on to put the same one on Gibbs' desk. As she left the room, Abby carefully placed the last frame in her hand on the empty desk.

"She's coming back." Abby whispered to herself, trying to hold back tears, which were undoubtedly shed in the making of these frames. "She's coming back. She's coming back. She's coming back. She's coming back. She's coming back. She's coming back." Abby repeated as she left the squad room.

"Any word from Mossad?" Tony asked desperately. He asked the same question every day, and with each day, Tony started losing his sanity and his hope. They knew she wasn't dead because the book had not been found, but she was definitely being tortured. They tried not to think about it, but the more efforts they made to stop thinking about it, the more they ended up thinking about it.

"No." Gibbs answered.

"Has Vance said anything?"

"No."

"What about Ben-Gidon?"

"No."

"Is there a location on Bodnar?"

"No."

"Have they been able to contact Ziva?"

"No."

"Have you heard from Agassi?"

"No."

"Are they trying to locate Ziva?"

Gibbs didn't answer that question. They all knew the answer. They were trying to get a location on Ziva, but everyone knew they weren't trying their hardest. They still went to sleep at night. Locating Ziva hadn't become their life. It was just their job, and no one said they were happy about it.

"DiNozzo, are you looking for Ziva?"

"I'm doing everything I can in this situation, Boss!" Tony exclaimed.

"We all are, DiNozzo. Pull yourself together. You wanna do something for Ziva? You wanna help find her?"

"Of course I do, Boss."  
"Then you do your best. Bring you're A-game, because you've been a little off the job

These past few weeks." Tony was about to argue, but soon realized he couldn't. "If you won't do it for me. If you won't do it for yourself….do it for Ziva."

"For Ziva." He whispered under his breath. "Ziva." He said her name, staring at the new picture. He read the caption out loud. "Bring her back to us."

* * *

That night, McGee decided to head over to Tony's apartment. He knew how much Tony cared about Ziva. McGee loved Ziva, but not in the way that Tony obviously loved her.

McGee knocked on the door.

No answer.

McGee knocked again.

Still, no answer.

"Tony, I know you're in there." McGee said. Tony was inside his apartment on the couch staring at the television, which was turned off. He had the remote in one hand and a beer in the other. Somehow, he couldn't get the remote to turn the TV on.

"Go away." He said grumpily.

"Tony, I think I know how to find the book, and if we can find the book, then we can lure Bodnar and get Ziva back." McGee said through the door.

"Are you lying?" Tony asked, starting to get up from the couch.

"Tony, you know I'm a terrible liar." McGee reminded him. With that, Tony jumped up, which instantly made his head hurt, and went to the door. He opened it and let McGee in. McGee almost commented on the darkness in the apartment and how bad Tony looked, but by the look on Tony's face, he decided not to.

"How do you think we can find the book?" he asked.

"It's just a theory."

"What is it?"

"I think the book is in Tali's grave."

* * *

**I am sorry for not updating for a while. Honestly, I had writer's block, but I now have my inspiration back, so expect more frequent updates. Please review. The more reviews I get, the faster I will update. Reviews also help inspire me, even if it is just a sentence. Please, tell me what you think. Also, thank you for your patience and sticking with this story. By the way, today is this story's one month anniversary. **


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of, relating to, or having to do with NCIS, its characters, or its past plot/story lines.**_  
_

* * *

_"How do you think we can find the book?" he asked. _

_ "It's just a theory." _

_ "What is it?"_

_ "I think the book is in Tali's grave." _

"Tali's grave?" Tony asked.

"Yup." McGee replied.

"What makes you think the book is in Tali's grave?"

"I found a note that Eli David left Ziva. It was tucked into one of Ziva's old books. It says that Eli told Tali about the book. It said that Tali was well acquainted with the book. Now, why would Eli say that if he went through all this trouble to save everything for Ziva?" McGee asked.

"Tali's a clue." Tony caught on.

"Exactly. Ziva was even named after the operation that started the book. This was all created for Ziva. Eli would have never told Tali about it."

"That doesn't mean the book is in her grave."

"You're right, Tony, but where else could it be?" Tony thought about it for a minute.

"Ziva spent so much time in Tali's room after she died. I think she would have found it if it was in there. Also, Tali was a sweet, innocent girl. It was considered a tragedy when she was killed. People had a lot of respect for her, respect they didn't have for Ziva because of their bedrooms. Her grave would have been undisturbed."

"We don't even know where her grave is."

"Then, we find it."

"That could take forever! Do you know how long she's been buried?"

"Twelve years."

"Twelve years of rot and rain and sand. Why would Eli put the book in her grave, exposed to all of the elements? If the book is in Tali's grave, it's probably destroyed by now."

McGee took a seat on the couch next to Tony. Tony wasn't fighting a chance of rescuing Ziva. He would do anything to rescue Ziva. Tony was running out of time. He didn't have any time for dead ends.

"It's worth a shot."

"We need more than a theory, McGee. Ziva's life is on the line, and we can't be tracking down her sister's grave if there's nothing in there, but her sister. Her grave deserves to be undisturbed. Tali deserves to rest in peace."

"I know she does, Tony, but we need to find something. That book is somewhere, somewhere that Ziva doesn't know, and she is being tortured because of it, and you're not doing anything!" McGee explained.

_When did McGee grow a pair?_

"I'm doing everything I can!" Tony shouted in anger, and then he washed it down with another swig of beer.

"All you've been doing is drinking on your ass!"

"Get the hell out of my apartment!"

"Tony, I'm just saying you aren't acting like you care about her."

"I love her!" Tony confessed.

"I know, and it's not past tense, yet. We have to bring her back, Tony. We have to save her because no one else will. We have to find this book, and we don't have a lot of time."

"You think I don't know that? I'm powerless here, McGee! She's suffering! She's being tortured, and I can't do anything about it!"

"Yes, you can, and that is the other thing I have to tell you." McGee told him softly. The screaming was over. Now, it was a brother comforting another brother.

"What, McGee?"

"We're going to Berlin. Mossad invited us undercover. Ziva's in Berlin. You and Gibbs are going to be in Berlin with Judah and Malachi. I'm doing some more digging in Israel with other Mossad officers. There are still a lot of blanks, but we know Ziva is in Berlin."

Tony smiled for the first time in a month.

"You know, if you started the visit with this, there wouldn't have been any yelling." Tony told him, and McGee chuckled a little bit at that.

"If I had started with that, you wouldn't have stuck around long enough to hear the rest."

"You're right." Tony said, before jumping up and leaving the apartment.

"Tony!" McGee called after him.

"What?"

"You need to pack!"

"No, I don't. I have to go! I need to find her. I need to tell her."

"Tell her that you love her?" McGee guessed. Tony smiled. "You'll be able to tell her, and when you see her, tell her I missed her, and I can't wait to see her. Don't tell her about Tali's grave."

"I'm not going to lie to her."

"Then don't. Your flight leaves in two hours, Tony. You'll see Ziva in at least two weeks. She's alive, but we don't know for how much longer. Bodnar has people turning the world upside down looking for that book."

"Don't you think they would have already checked Tali's grave."

"I don't know, but I get to meet more of Ziva's cousins in Israel."

"Tell me if anything important happens."

"Tell me when you tell her, and don't chicken out. Grow a pair, Tony. I've been trying to get you to notice Ziva right in front of you for years."

"When did you grow a pair, McGee?" Tony asked. His little probie was growing up, and it felt good to finally admit out loud that he loves Ziva. _I love her. I love her, and she's alive. _Tony couldn't stop smiling.

* * *

**There's chapter 27. I can't believe I have 27 chapters up. I know the chapters are a little short. I'll start making them longer. There's a lot more action, and a lot more tiva coming up, but we finally got Tony to admit that he loves Ziva to McGee. Let's just see if he can admit that he loves Ziva to Ziva, herself. She's alive, but she has been through a lot. Please tell me what you thought. Also, please send in a couple ideas, and I'll try my best to add the ideas into the upcoming chapters. I will credit you for your ideas. Also I plan to update my other story "Because You Protect Me" soon. Thanks to everyone. I love you guys. **


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I don not own anything of, relating to, or having to do with NCIS, no matter how much I wish I did. **_  
_

Judah and Malachi were already on the plane, ready to meet the NCIS agents. First things first; they needed to compare notes.

Malachi pulled out a computer and hooked it up to the hotel flat screen. Several images popped up, and Malachi began.

"Ziva has been spotted several times throughout Europe, each time with a different man who never left her side."

"Bodnar?" Gibbs asked.

"Never Bodnar."

"Then who?"

"Expendables." Judah cut in. "Bodnar does not like to get his hands dirty. He pays people to do it for him. All of these people are just being paid to escort Ziva across Europe. They have no idea what is going on, and that's the way Bodnar wants it."

"Why is she cooperating?" McGee asked.

"Do you know how long we have all known each other?" Malachi asked. "We grew up together. We were children together. We trained together. We all know each and every one of the other's weaknesses. Trust me. Bodnar knows Ziva's weaknesses."

"Which are?" Tony wondered.

"The people she cares about."

"She's being blackmailed." McGee stated.

"More like coerced." Tony corrected.

"You're sure she's here?" Gibbs asked.

"Positive, Agent Gibbs." Judah said.

"What do you want us to do?" Tony finally thought.

"Judah and I will be accompanying Agent McGee back to Israel to continue decoding documents we have found and hopefully locate the book. You and Agent Gibbs will be undercover as sailors, going to the bar every once and a while."

"Why a bar?"

"Every time Ziva was spotted with one of these unknowing men, he's taken her into a bar."

"Ever heard of Heineken? I'm sure there's more than one bar in Berlin." Tony said.

"We have already surveyed the area and narrowed it down to two bars. We put cameras in both bars, which is a direct feed to Israel. We can also split you two up. More Mossad officers should be here by morning to back you up, but we need you."

"Why us?" Gibbs said.

"If you see Ziva at the bar, she will know that you're safe, and right now the only reason she is cooperating is because she's fearful for your lives. I'm not saying that you can swoop in and rescue her. We can't do that because we still don't know exactly where Bodnar is. We just have to observe her, follow her. Once we have a visual on Bodnar, we can go in and rescue her, but for now, all you can do is observe." Malachi explained.

Tony had one question.

_How will I be able to control myself when I see her? _

He never asked that question out loud.

* * *

McGee left with Malachi and Judah a few hours later. McGee wished Tony look, and Tony replied with the same statement.

"Don't worry, Tony." He said.

"I'm not."

"You'll find her."

"I know."

"Tell her hi for me."

"I will." Tony promised, and that was the last dialogue exchanged between the two before McGee got on the plane, and the plane left the runway.

The Mossad officers arrived a little later than that, and Tony hoped to God that Malachi didn't send any more of Ziva's cousins.

"Aaron Nadel." One of the officers introduced himself.

"Admon Lopatnikov." The other introduced.

"Tony DiNozzo."

"Jethro Gibbs."

"Any connection to Ziva?" Tony asked.

"She was my partner for a year." Aaron said.

"Reassigned?" Gibbs asked.

"Removed." Aaron corrected. "by Eli."

"Why?" Tony asked. Aaron hesitated for a second. Admon already knew the answer.

"I fell in love with her."

_Great. _Tony thought. _Fell in love with her. Worse than cousin. _He decided.

"I don't have any connection with her." Admon said, sensing the awkwardness at Aaron's confession. "I joined Mossad a year after she was given the position as liaison with NCIS. I heard great things about her, though."

* * *

The four men got back to the hotel they were staying at to discuss the plans for that night.

"I think we should split up into teams of two." Admon offered. "After all, there are two bars we could locate her at."

"Okay." Gibbs said.

"Admon, stay with DiNozzo. Nadel with me." Gibbs said. He knew not to put Aaron and Tony on the same mission, especially after Aaron already confessed he fell in love with Ziva.

* * *

"What's your connection with Ziva?" Admon asked Tony when they were surveying the bar before they agreed that Tony would go in.

"I'm her partner at NCIS."

"That it?"

"What makes you think there's something else?"

"The things I've heard about Ziva." Now, Tony was curious.

"Such as?" He challenged.

"Such as she's easy to fall in love with. You've worked with her so long, and I don't see a ring on your finger. I just figured you would be feeling the effects by now. I apologize if that is incorrect."

"It's not." Tony said.

"Well, then I suggest you get inside that bar."

Tony did as he was told. He noticed the couples slow dancing on the dance floor. Tony moved his way to the back, away from the fluorescent lights and found himself a spot at the bar. He turned his head a little to the left, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

There she was. Ziva David. Standing there in all her beauty, but she saw one man near her, not obsessively watching her, but keeping an eye on her. Ziva didn't even notice that Tony was at the other side of the bar.

"Excuse me, Miss." The bartender got Ziva's attention.

"Yes?" Ziva asked, snapping out of her own little world.

"The gentleman on the end, there, ordered you a drink." Ziva was more concerned with the drink the gentleman, at first. She took a sip and noticed it was a mojito. _How could that man possibly know what I like to drink? _She wondered. She took her glance from the drink and looked over to see Anthony DiNozzo.

His gaze was fixed on some point on the wall, but he looked up to see Ziva looking at him. The man in charge of Ziva noticed and moved forward a little towards Ziva. Tony gave Ziva a "trust me" smile, and he walked over to talk to there.

"Are you enjoying your drink?" he asked her.

"Yes, thank you. Mojitos are my favorite."

"I guess I got lucky."

"Possibly." Ziva smiled.

"I'm Tony." Tony extended his hand to Ziva, and she shook it. "You got a name?"

"Ziva." The man answered for her.

"Boyfriend?" Tony asked.

"Brother." The man answered. "Here, to make sure my sister doesn't get into any trouble. If anything happens, our parents will kill me." He lied so obviously. This man was expendable. He hadn't been filled in on anything. He was just easy to pay, transport, and get rid of.

"You two don't look very much alike." Tony noticed.

"She got all the good looks." The man said.

"Yeah, she did." Tony replied. "I'm sorry. I'm Tony, and you are?" Tony asked, extending his hand.

"Ari." He said. _Funny. I thought he was killed eight years ago. _Tony thought. Tony figured it must have been the cover Bodnar had given him. _This guy is stupid. _

Tony's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the song that was currently playing about to end. He turned to Ari.

"Whose permission do I ask for this lovely lady to dance with me?" he wondered.

"She can dance, as long as she remembers the rules." Ari said. Tony turned to Ziva.

"Well, then, Miss Ziva, may I have this dance?" Ziva immediately took the hand Tony had offered, and Tony led her out to the dance floor, where it seemed time stood still. Tony had his hand on the small of her back, his other intertwined with hers. Ziva was holding onto his bicep. Nothing else mattered. The dance took the worry away. They stared into each other's eyes and swayed to the music, Tony occasionally pulling her even closer to him, to try and protect her from everything.

* * *

**So...what did you think? I would really appreciate some reviews. I love hearing what you guys think about it because I write for you. Please review. If you've made it this far, you must have some thoughts about it. Thank you so much. I will try my best to update soon. I would also like to give a special shout out to Lilly. I wish you had an account, so I could message you, but I'll tell you how much I appreciate all of the reviews you have given me. I love that you love it so much. **


	29. Chapter 29

__**So sorry about the wait. I promise, you will never have to wait that long again. Just to let you know, if you don't have an account with , it takes three days before I get your reviews. **

**Anyways, after this chapter, I'm thinking about changing the story title to Diamonds, or My Diamond, or something like that. You'll see why. Please tell me how you feel about that. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS, its characters, or its past and present story lines. **

* * *

Tony's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the song that was currently playing about to end. He turned to Ari.

"Whose permission do I ask for this lovely lady to dance with me?" he wondered.

"She can dance, as long as she remembers the rules." Ari said. Tony turned to Ziva.

"Well, then, Miss Ziva, may I have this dance?" Ziva immediately took the hand Tony had offered, and Tony led her out to the dance floor, where it seemed time stood still. Tony had his hand on the small of her back, his other intertwined with hers. Ziva was holding onto his bicep. Nothing else mattered. The dance took the worry away. They stared into each other's eyes and swayed to the music, Tony occasionally pulling her even closer to him, to try and protect her from everything.

"So, am I dancing with just you, or the whole team?" Ziva asked quietly.

"Just me. Just you and me. A Mossad officer is watching from the car." He whispered in her ear.

"Have you come to rescue me?"

"Not yet. We need a location on Bodnar. McGee has a theory on where the book is."

"Where?" Ziva asked desperately. Tony leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Tali's grave."

"Oh."

"So, that's all I get? Aren't you happy to see me?" he asked her.

"I thought you were in trouble. I guess I am still in shock that you're alright."

"Well, now that I've found you, I'm alright."

"And the team? Everyone's okay?"

"Bodnar hasn't threatened any of us, Ziva." Ziva bent her head onto Tony's muscular chest.

"Oh, thank God." She whispered.

"You know, if your "brother" wasn't watching, I'd kiss you right now." Tony told her.

"Forget about him, Tony. Just kiss me." She commanded. Tony looked for Ari, who was currently preoccupied with his beer. Seeing this, he closed the gap between their lips. Tony's hand let go of hers and went up to cup her face. Ziva tightened the hand on his bicep and moved her other one to the back of his neck, the tips of her fingers going through the ends of his hair.

"I love you, Ziva." Tony whispered against her lips as they reluctantly parted.

Never in that moment had Tony been surer of anything. He used to run at the thought of the three magic words, but he wanted to say them to Ziva again and again. He didn't even care if she said it back. It just felt amazing to say it. Of course, he would love for her to say them back.

Ziva was a little shocked at first to hear Tony's declaration, but the second she looked into his sea green eyes, she knew there wasn't any alcohol in him. No trauma. No painkillers. No lies.

Just love.

And she knew her eyes were saying the same thing.

"I love you, too, Tony."

And after that, he kissed her again.

"So, do you know anything about what's going on with Bodnar?" Tony asked.

"He's paying these guys to escort me from country to country, but they don't know who I am or why Bodnar wants this. They don't even know Bodnar's real name."

"Money tends to shut people up."

"Exactly. If they know, how important I am to Ilan, I'll become a hostage because of all his money." She explained.

"How is Bodnar getting this money? Every agency is checking all these account. They're looking for the one account that he's pulling money from." Tony whispered in her ear.

"He's converting all his money to diamonds."

"Diamonds? That's convenient."

"Uncut. Hard to trace."

"Kind of like you." He said. "And right now, a lot of people are willing to pay a lot of money for you."

"Like a diamond?" Ziva asked.

"Yup."

"And what do you have to say about that, Tony?"

"No one is putting a price on my diamond." He said very firmly, and quite frankly, it was turning Ziva on.

"_Your _diamond?" she teased.

"Well, you don't have to be mine, if you don't want to. I mean, I'm yours, Miss David."

"Then I am your diamond." She said into his ear, and then nibbled on his earlobe a little bit, which made Tony hold his breath for a minute. "So, did you just come here to see me?" she asked.

"I need to find some way to wire you."

"Am I going to lead you to Bodnar?" she asked.

"Yes. We need a way to know where Bodnar is. We need you hooked up with a microphone, video camera, GPS tracker."

"So you'll know where I am at all times?"

"Yup."

"And how do you intend to get these objects on me when my "brother" is standing right over there?"

"Oh, I've got that covered. Compliments of Timothy McGeek, who by the way, says hi."

"Tell him I miss him. Tell everyone I miss them."

"Don't worry. I will."

"So, what are these objects disguised as?" Ziva asked as a new song began to play. Thankfully, it was another slow song.

"McGee got you a Star of David with a microphone and a video camera already in it, so all we need to do is switch out the one you're wearing right now."

"Tell him thank you from me."

"It is pretty smart, isn't it? I mean, I can take some of the credit. I came up with it."

"But McGee built it?"

"Yup." Ziva laughed.

"What about the GPS tracker?" she asked.

"Well, I mean we thought of a lot of things for that, but we can't be too obvious. We can't just give you a bracelet or a ring. We thought about giving you a scrunchie, but we just put this analyzing chip in the Star of David. It will take us a little longer to find you, but it will vibrate a little against your skin, as a sign that we are in the area."

"So, it's very complex."

"Once again, like you." He gave her his classic DiNozzo grin.

"Will you stop that?"

"Does it bother you?"

"Yes."

"Then, no, I won't stop." He said, before kissing her temple.

"Well, don't stop that." She whispered. Tony reached into his suit pocket, and pulled out the necklace for her. He took his hand in hers and discreetly gave her the necklace. Ziva smiled. Once the song had ended, Tony took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"I love you." He said.

"I love you, too."

"I'll see you soon." He reminded her before escorting her back to her "brother" and leaving for the car, where Admon had been intently waiting for his return.

* * *

**Please review. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch Double Blind. **


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I do not own.**_  
_

* * *

"Sweet dance. I almost felt emotion." He told Tony.

"Well, I sure did." Tony said, smiling. Everything was going to be okay now. Ziva wasn't off the hook yet, but she was getting there. She would be safe soon. She would safe _with him _soon.

"Just drive the damn car."

* * *

Gibbs and Tony were reunited later that night.

"Ziva says hi." Tony told him.

"I knew she'd be there."

"How'd you know?"

"Call it a father's intuition, DiNozzo." Gibbs said. "Call McGee." He continued. "Brief him on tonight. See if he got any new information on Bodnar or the book."

McGee picked up on the first ring.

"Did you find her tonight?" he asked.

Normally, Tony would have joked with a, "What, no hello.", but there wasn't enough time for that. "Yeah, I found her. She wanted me to tell you thank you from her."

"Anytime."

"So, McGee, you got anything?"

"I really think that the book is in Tali's grave, but the only person who would know exactly where her grave is, is Ziva."

"She wasn't buried in, like, a graveyard or something."

"It was a memorial, Tony. Tali was killed in a suicide bombing. Her body did not remain intact. The poor girl's body was nearly incinerated. They still buried a coffin for her in her memory, but it wasn't in a graveyard."

"Well, keep working on that."

"I am. I'm still searching this place for any more letters from Eli to Ziva, but what I did notice is that six international arms dealers recently booked flights to Berlin."

"So, Berlin's the final destination?"

"Looks that way. The Berlin Wall fell after Reagan's presidency. With the increase of terrorism and the pursuit of world domination, they want to put it back up. The only way we can stop all of this is finding the book and passing it along to our president, our allies. It's the only to trample their planned attacks."

"We need to get Ziva out of there."

"She's the ticket to the book." McGee added.

"Any location on Bodnar?" Tony asked.

"Not yet."

"Ziva said that he drained all the money from his accounts. He's converting into uncut diamonds. See, if that helps." He informed him.

"Thanks, Tony. How's the necklace cam?"

"We're getting it up now."

"Okay. Take care of yourself."

"You, too, Probie."

* * *

McGee called them again at three in the morning. Gibbs answered immediately. Tony was still trying to open his eyes, after Gibbs sent him to take a much-needed nap.

"Yeah, Gibbs." He answered.

"I've got a location on Bodnar!" McGee nearly exclaimed.

Gibbs almost ran to the couch and slapped DiNozzo on the back of the head.

"Ow, Boss." He said.

"McGee's got a location on Bodnar." Gibbs told him. He didn't have to tell Tony twice. Tony jumped up, and Gibbs put McGee on speakerphone.

"Where, McGee?"

"He's in an abandoned warehouse off of Hellersdorf, a few miles from the city of Berlin. Based on the feed I'm getting from Ziva's necklace cam, the torture is about to begin. This is the first time they've been reunited in a while. Bodnar's got two guards with him in the warehouse. I've positively ID'd them as rogue Mossad operatives."

"That's good work, McGee." Gibbs said, fastening his gun and coffee, preparing to get the Aaron and Admon up.

"I'll text the exact address to Tony. Just follow Ziva's GPS coordinates. Right now, find Ziva, you'll find Bodnar." McGee explained.

"Got it, McGee." Gibbs said before he hung up.

Gibbs and Tony had gotten Aaron and Admon up, and they were pacing to the car. Gibbs drove with Tony in front telling him where to go.

Between the "Turn right here, Boss" and "stay on this road for three miles", Admon and Aaron were in the backseat of the car, loading their guns with ammunition. The first thing was to get Bodnar alive, but all four were prepared to shoot if he didn't cooperate. They wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

"This is it, Boss." Tony said as an old warehouse came into sight. They parked about thirty yards away, and the four of them got their guns ready. They hadn't called CIA or any other international agencies because it would take too long.

They quickly and quietly made their way to the entrance of the warehouse.

Gibbs signaled for DiNozzo to go around back and check out the windows, Admon at his back. Aaron was with Gibbs, and they were silently counting to thirty before they burst through that door.

Tony looked into the back window. He could Ziva tied to a chair in the middle of the room. He reminded him of Somalia. She had cuts and bruises on her face, a few were visible on her arms. Bodnar's back was to him, along with the guards, one on each side. The important thing was that the guards couldn't see him.

But Ziva could.

She looked up briefly, and he was happy that she had a good poker face. She held her composure, but on the inside Tony knew she was extremely happy, and she was. At this point, Ziva would take any punch aimed at her by one of the men in front of her. She would distract them for however long it took. Tony was there, looking into her eyes, which meant that it would all be over soon.

5 seconds later, Gibbs and Aaron burst through the front door.

"Let her go, Bodnar!" Gibbs shouted.

The two guards instinctively started shooting, hitting Aaron in the cheek, but the two of them still had a firm grip on their weapons, and they were able to kill the guards within five bullets.

Bodnar had taken the weapon from one of his dead guards by this point and had it pressed to Ziva's temple.

"Put the guns down, or I will shoot her!" Bodnar exclaimed.

Suddenly, Bodnar felt something hard and metallic pushed into the back of his head. It took him a couple seconds to realize that Anthony DiNozzo had a gun on him.

"No, you won't." Tony said.

They were silent for a few minutes. Bodnar was contemplating what to do. He finally released his hold on the gun, and Gibbs and Tony immediately rushed to Ziva's aid while the other two cuffed Bodnar to a metal rail.

"I'm fine." Ziva said.

"You always are." Tony replied, and Gibbs didn't miss that smile shared between the two of them. He knew how Tony felt about Ziva. He had an idea that Ziva returned his feelings, but he just realized that the two of them had officially decided to become a couple.

Gibbs didn't question them on it. They would tell him, soon enough.

"We need paramedics to look at you and Nadel, Ziva." Gibbs said.

"I am fine, Gibbs. Just a few scrapes." She argued as the two agents got her to her feet. "Aaron needs medical attention. I'm fine."

* * *

**So, what do you think? Please let me know.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

* * *

Ziva had to get a few stitches in her forehead and upper, left arm. Aaron had to undergo surgery to get the bullet removed from his cheek, but other than the obvious, there was no severe damage. Nothing he wouldn't do again.

The night had left Tony and Ziva alone in the hotel room together. They were sitting on the couch, pretending to be watching television.

"I can't believe you're alright." He finally broke the silence.

"Thanks to you I am." Ziva whispered.

"Yeah, I guess it is thanks to me." He said arrogantly. Ziva elbowed him.

"Last time I compliment you."

"Come on, you know you love me." He told her as he draped an arm over her shoulders, holding her to him. He kissed the top of her head.

"Hmmm." She said contently as he held her. The two of them hadn't really gotten to snuggle together, and Ziva definitely loved to snuggle. "I guess I do."

"Took you long enough to admit it."

"Me?" she asked, looking up at him incredulously.

"Yes, you!" he exclaimed. "It took you long enough to tell you that you love me."

"Oh, come on, Tony, everyone knows the man is supposed to say it first." She argued.

"So, you follow that tradition, huh?" he asked.

"Yes!" she said. "The man is supposed to buy flowers for the woman. The man is supposed to ask the woman out on the first date. The man is supposed to say 'I love you' first. The man is supposed to propose to the woman." By that point, the two of them were staring intently into each other's eyes.

"Well, I've done most of those things." Tony whispered.

"Yes." Ziva agreed.

"Do you want me to do all of those things?" he asked her.

"It's not up to me. The man is supposed to decide." She said.

* * *

The following morning had the five on a plane to Tel Aviv. Ziva had agreed to look in her sister's grave, albeit reluctantly. She felt wrong doing it, but she knew Tali would have wanted this book to be found. Tali would have been okay with it. Ziva knew the book was in Tali's grave, but honestly she was a little scared to see her sister's charred remains again.

Ziva brought them to the spot a few miles from her father's mansion. It was near the river where Ziva had been abducted by as a child. The river was a bit of a painful memory for Ziva, but Tali was too young to fully understand what had happened to her at the time. Tali loved to play in the river. She always said she wanted to be buried there.

They spent an hour digging up the coffin, and Ziva had to take a deep breath as she moved to the side of it. There, appeared to be a lock on the side of the coffin. Ziva reached to her neck and unclasped the Star of David, which had been switched from the camera to the original. She pushed her necklace into the imprint of the lock, and the coffin opened up.

"Many uses in that necklace." McGee said.

"It was very important in my family." Ziva replied as she took the top of the coffin off.

She sighed as she saw what was left of her sister. The charred flesh had, for the most part, disappeared, and the bones were predominately noticeable. Ziva felt her composure begin to slip as she thought of Tali playing by the river as a young child.

Tony seemed to sense this and reached for her hand. She didn't pull back. She just held onto it tightly. It comforted her. Tony gave her hand a gentle squeeze as Ziva looked behind her sister's body. Tali's head was resting on the book in question, almost like a pillow, and Ziva's eyes beckoned for someone else to get the book.

She had located the grave. She had opened the coffin. She had found the book. But she couldn't just take the book from behind her dead sister's head.

Gibbs put gloves on his hands, and Ziva noticed that he carefully extracted the book. He handed it to McGee's already gloved hands, and McGee put it in tightly sealed bag.

Ziva looked at the book in the bag. Her hand was still in Tony's.

The book didn't look very big. The cover wasn't anything special. It looked like something she might be interested in at the library.

But her father had broken laws for that book. She had been named for that book. Clues had been left behind for that book, and people had been killed because of that book.

"We have to get this book to the president." McGee said.

"I know." Gibbs replied.

Tony and Ziva remained silent.

"Can we rebury her yet, Gibbs?" Ziva finally asked. Her voice sounded timid and fragile.

"McGee and I have to get this book back, and brief all the directors of the agencies. Do you think you and DiNozzo can handle this?" Gibbs asked.

He knew Ziva needed comfort with all of this. She tried to prepare herself for it, but her classic, ninja façade was slipping, and Gibbs knew she and Tony needed some time alone for her to feel better.

Ziva nodded in response. Gibbs and McGee started to walk back to the mansion where the Mossad officers had agreed to meet them.

"Ziva?" Tony said.

"It's strange, seeing her like this." Ziva said as she put the top back over the coffin. "I mean, I've known for years that she wasn't coming back, but it doesn't make it any easier. I never thought I would have to do this." She confessed, and he thought he saw a tear escape her eye.

"I know, Ziva." He whispered to her.

"She was amazing. She had all these dreams, and she would tell me about them for hours and hours. Dreams that meant something." This time, he was sure he saw a tear. He caressed her cheek and leaned down to kiss the tear away.

"So do you." He reminded her.

"Did you know that when she was killed, I was the one that was supposed to be there? I am the one that should be in the coffin." She told him.

"But you're not, Ziva."

"I know, but sometimes I wish I could just go back and give her the chance she deserved."

"Bad things happen to good people, but we can't change the past."

"We can only let it affect our future." She added.

"Exactly." He said as he kissed her forehead, right where her stitches were.

"I just miss her, and to know that my father used her memorial as a hiding place for his sacred book. That he named me after that book. I'm just wondering how dearly he held onto it. How far would he have gone for it?"

"Different people have different reasons to live. They all have something to look forward to, something to hope for, the light that keeps them going. I guess your father's light was that book." He tried to explain delicately.

"I know." Ziva sighed.

He pulled her into a tight embrace. She held onto Tony and began to cry into his shoulder. He showered the top of her head in kisses as his hands rubbed her back soothingly.

Finally he put his hand upon her cheek, guiding her face up, so her dark, brown eyes, adorned with tears, would gaze lovingly into his sea-green ones.

"But you're my light." He told her. Ziva gave him a small smile.

"And you're my safety." She said. He kissed her cheek after she said that, and the couple reluctantly parted before reburying Tali.

* * *

**Chapter 31...how was it for you?**


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. **

* * *

Vance was a bit surprised to hear about the success of the mission, but he welcomed it with open arms, especially because of all the praise he was receiving from the heads of other federal agencies.

He also willingly gave Ziva her badge back, and a normal routine was put back into place.

Abby had been fussing over all of them the second they left the elevator and went into the squad room, especially Ziva. Ducky and Jimmy also stood beside Abby, welcoming them off the elevator, and although the medical examiners were enthusiastic, none could display as much energy as Abby was at the current moment. Ziva had been answering every question Abby threw at her until something on Tony's desk caught her eye.

The picture of her.

**BRING HER BACK TO US.**

The words made Ziva's heart melt. She looked around to see that the same picture and frame was also on McGee's, Gibbs', and her own desk, but for some reason, she couldn't tear her eyes away from it on Tony's desk.

She turned around to look at Tony, and the two of them had a conversation with their eyes.

_I think now would be a good time to tell them. _Her eyes said.

_Are you sure, Ziva?_

_I am sure. I want them to know. _

_Me, too. You ready?_

_Of course. And you?_

_Yup. Now, no matter what they say or how they react, you know I love you._

_Yes, I do, and I love you, too._

Their eyes stopped with their conversation after that, and Tony reached for her hand, which caused Abby to stop bombarding Gibbs and McGee with her stories on how terrible it was without all of them.

Tony's hand led her to him, and he put an arm around her shoulders as she leaned into him, her head on his chest.

"We have something to tell everyone." Ziva said. She looked up at Tony. She gave him permission to break the news to them all. She was waiting for him to say it.

"Ziva and I have decided to start a relationship. I love her." He began.

"And I love him." Ziva added.

"And we want to be together." Tony said. Abby started squealing before she separated the two from each other and engulfed the two of them in a huge bear hug. Of course, the news wasn't so shocking, but it was nice to hear the confirmation.

When Abby was finished with her hugs, the men stepped forward, all giving congratulations, except Gibbs. Jimmy gave Tony a nice pat on the shoulder. Ducky shook his hand, and McGee elbowed him good-naturedly after he had given Ziva a kiss on the cheek, but Gibbs had only kissed Ziva's temple.

When Gibbs started to walk back to his desk, he caught Tony's glance. They stared at each other for a second before Gibbs gave him that empowering nod that Tony had been searching for for a while now. It meant that Gibbs had approval. He didn't say it, but his kids were happy, so he was happy. He loved his kids, and he knew that those two were pretty damn good for each other.

* * *

"Can you believe it?" Tony asked Ziva that night as they cuddled on the couch, preparing to watch _Les Miserables. _Ziva loved the book, and she loved musicals, so Tony thought it would be a nice date night for the two of them. "We're together and happy, and everyone's okay with it."

"Do not question it, Tony." She said before giving him a lingering kiss on the lips.

"Oh, I'm not questioning it."

"What, then?" she asked.

"Appreciating it." He answered honestly.

"Good." Ziva said.

"Good?" he repeated.

"After all, it is the man that is supposed to appreciate the woman more than anything." She explained to him. So, this conversation from before wasn't over. Okay. He wanted to finish it anyways.

"Is there anything the woman is supposed to do in your mind?" he asked her.

"Lots of things."

"Please share." He told her.

"She is supposed to feel safe when she is with her man. She should want to be with him. She should make him happy. She should make him feel like a man. She should make sure he is satisfied."

"Satisfied, huh?" he questioned. He knew where she was going with this, and it was a place he was happily willing to go to with her.

"Yes." She answered matter-of-factly.

"Satisfied how?"

"Satisfied with how she acts. Satisfied with how she kisses him. Satisfied with the things they do together. Satisfied sexually." She whispered seductively into his ear.

"Sexually?" he shuddered.

"Yes." She said.

"Well, it seems like women have a lot to do."

"We do."

"Well, you know, women have to want the sex, too. It's not fun to know that a man can't pleasure her." He informed her.

"Well, most women do want the sex, the intimacy, the love making." She said, and he could see the desire in her eyes, which no doubt mirrored his own. His lips crashed upon hers softly at first, but the kiss began to heat up and when Ziva went to unbutton his dress shirt buttons, he was done. He got up and carried Ziva off the couch and into his bedroom.

"I love you." He reminded her between their passionate kisses, and she returned his words, but those were the last complete sentences that were spoken for a while.

* * *

**Chapter 32 for all of you! Please tell me how you feel about it! There's only one more chapter left, and I am so happy that I have finished what I started because that always hasn't been so easy, and I apologize for my sporadic updates, but I hope this makes up for it.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: I own the NCIS seasons on DVD.**

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**EIGHT MONTHS LATER**

Everything was settled. All of the arms dealers and terrorists who were planning to unite and unleash attacks, even more destructive than the 9/11 attacks, were caught, and their plans were destroyed.

The president couldn't have been happier when he got his hands on the book. NCIS had really proved itself. People were very familiar with Homeland Security, FBI, and CIA, but the recent events caused NCIS's popularity to skyrocket. Pay grades were raised. Budgets were given more leeway. Any speculation on getting rid of the agency earlier that year was completely disregarded.

America needed NCIS for protection, safety, and service to the men and women defending the country.

So, once everything was settled down, a ball had been arranged in Washington D.C. in honor of stopping World War III and, of course, NCIS for its role in the matter.

The guest list consisted of all of Team Gibbs, and they were all looking forward to the event, and for some reason, Gibbs had noticed that Tony was looking forward to it the most. The ball was being held out the White House, tours also going on for the guests during the ball.

Four months after they had returned from Tel Aviv with Ziva and the book, Tony and Ziva moved into a nice, bigger apartment together. They had decided that they were financially stable, and that all of the inheritance between the two would be used for other things. They didn't need a fancy house at the moment.

At six months, the couple had a pregnancy scare, but a trip to the doctor told them that the pregnancy test had delivered a false positive. They hadn't told the team about it.

So, there they were getting ready in their little home. Ziva was in the bedroom, Tony in the bathroom. Ziva always wanted her look to be a surprise to Tony when they were going out somewhere that required formal attire.

Each time, he was taken aback by her beauty. Her hair was in an elegant up-do, and Tony couldn't take his eyes off her dress. It was a spaghetti-strapped v-neck long, black, chiffon dress with a low back. It was beautiful. She had a sequined clutch in her hand, and she started to blush with Tony's intent gaze on her.

"You look very handsome." She finally told him. This disturbed silence caused him to leave his trance.

"And you look absolutely beautiful." He told her before kissing her lips lovingly and putting his hands on her hips.

"We're going to be late, Tony." She told him.

"We're fine." He whispered against her lips.

"Come on, Tony." She said, before softly smacking him with her clutch. He opened the door for her, and the couple entered the limo that had been sent for them for the ball.

Ziva noticed that Tony seemed a little shaky. She made a mental note to ask him about that later.

When they arrived at the White House, they were introduced to so many different people. Ziva wanted to be polite and say hello to so many more, but Tony just grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor where live, classical music was playing.

"Please. Just dance with me." He begged her, whispering in her ear.

"Just a few dances." She told him, and he smiled at her. Tony had actually started to enjoy taking Ziva dancing. It was an excuse to hold Ziva close in public, not that they really needed an excuse. They were a couple. That was good enough for him.

"You okay?" Ziva asked during their second dance. "You seem a little nervous."

"Nervous?" he repeated. "Me?"

"I'm just saying, Tony." She said. Tony stopped dancing. "Are you alright?" she asked, showing a deep concern for her boyfriend. He wasn't really acting like himself.

"Come on. There's too many people right here."

He grabbed her hand and led her to a peaceful garden in the backyard. The house was open to all the guests. They walked into the beautifully lit garden, lighting up the dark of the night. There was also a gorgeous fountain where Tony sat down on the stone surrounding it and had Ziva come sit next to him.

She rested her head on his shoulder, and he kissed it gently.

"This is perfect." She told him.

"Yes." He agreed.

"I really don't want it to end."

"It doesn't have to." Tony said as he reached into his suit jacket pocket, confirming that the velvet box was still in there. It was.

"What do you mean, Tony?" she asked him.

"Of course, tonight will end in a few hours, but you and me can still be together every night for the rest of our lives." By then, Ziva was fully sitting up, and Tony had left his seat to get down on one knee and open the velvet box, showing her the most beautiful diamond ring she had ever seen.

"Tony." She gasped.

"Ziva, I love you more than anything in the world, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. You told me a while ago that I was your safety, and that will never leave me. I want to keep you safe. I want to kiss you goodnight and good morning. I want to make sure that we will always be together, so, Ziva David, will you marry me?"

Tony started to choke up at the actual question. He was proposing to Ziva, and all he wanted was for her to answer.

"Yes." She said as a single, happy tear trekked down her cheek. Tony jumped up with the biggest smile on his face and held his fiancé to him, putting the engagement ring on her finger. He kissed her by that fountain, holding her to him, and now, Ziva wanted to leave the party.

She still thought about that conversation they had, too.

She was his light.

He was her safety.

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**So, for all of you who stuck with me this far, I hoped you enjoyed the story. Now, that it's complete, I will be taking prompts or requests for new stories. You can comment here on what you would like me to write, or you could message. Thanks again for everyone who has read it. I never would have finished it if it wasn't for you. Please tell me what you thought about it.**


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